I was, and will remain deeply disappointed that Stokes' career at Hibs ended the way it did, but against Motherwell and the Rangers you just sensed a renewed spirit of togetherness among the squad since he left. Kamberi and MacLaren may not share his talent (though who knows, they may prove me wrong there) but their ecstatic reaction to scoring shows how much they want to make their mark. Stokes is a player who can produce that extra bit of quality to unlock a game, but he showed that way too little. It's said that talent is worth waiting for, but I'd rather have consistent unbridled enthusiasm than occasional brilliance.

If Stokes saw any of yesterday's game, he may have been given pause for thought by the performance of Scott Allan - another player of game-changing ability whose career was threatening to run away from him but who now looks like he could be the talisman we needed to turn around a season which was showing signs of going sour. He plays the game with such a natural joy and talent that you can't help but brush off any bad feeling over his depature last time round. Fingers crossed he seizes the second chance that Hibs are offering with far more gratitude than Stokes did.