Hibernian

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Kieron Bowie scored 15 goals in an injury-interrupted 18 months with Hibernian and there is no question his best was the stunning, long-range lob against Partizan Belgrade in August.

But the 23-year-old striker, sold to Hellas Verona in January, reckons his derby goal in December is the fondest memory from his time at Easter Road.

With Hibs already 2-0 up on league leaders Hearts, Bowie rifled a shot into the corner of the net from 16 yards early in the second half to send the home fans wild.

It came moments after he had failed to make the most of a good chance and was almost immediately followed by Josh Mulligan firing wide when a pass to either Bowie or Martin Boyle would almost certainly have made it 4-0.

Hearts hit back with two goals in the last 15 minutes and it needed a good save from Raphael Sallinger in stoppage time to prevent a draw.

Of his special strike against Partizan in Conference League qualifying, Bowie told BBC Alba: "I'm not sure I'll ever score a goal like that again. I still speak to people who say 'I've never seen a goal like that in my life'.

"But the Hearts one is probably the one that meant the most.

"It was 3-2 in the end but really, we should have won the game 5-0. When I arrived those were the games everyone spoke about and how important it was to win them."

That derby victory was celebrated with a rousing rendition of Sunshine on Leith, the Proclaimers classic adopted by Hibs fans.

"I got to hear it three of four times," Bowie said of the song. "It's a special anthem, probably one of the most iconic in football."

Since moving to Italy for a reported £6m fee, he has scored twice in nine outings for Verona, with the club running out of games to preserve their Serie A status.

While pledging to "bring a bit of fire" to the fight against relegation, Bowie did admit: "Chances are tough to come by in this league.

"You definitely get more time on the ball here and, in a way, it makes it a bit easier – but the players you're up against are also better. Some are world class. Every week, you're playing against a different type of player."

Having made two Scotland appearances as a substitute in 2025, Bowie has not been involved in recent squads but has not given up on making it into Steve Clarke's World Cup squad.

"Obviously, I want to be on that plane, but for the moment I'm just focused on doing the best I can for Verona," he said. "Just try and score as many goals as I can before the end of the season.

"I want to be there but who knows what will happen."

Ray Bradshaw will be joined by fans up and down the country on Monday for This Is Fans Only to discuss the weekend's biggest points.

Supporters will come on live and viewers will get the chance to join in on the debate, as well.

The show will be broadcast live on the BBC Sport Scottish Football YouTube channel at 18:00 BST.

To make sure you don't miss any bespoke video content, make sure to subscribe to the channel HERE, external.

Fans of Motherwell and Hibernian would have been watching the weekend's Scottish Cup action with a keen eye, given how the eventual winner of the competition could have a decisive impact on their European hopes.

Essentially, whether fifth place in the Scottish Premiership this season rewards you with European football or not depends on Celtic winning the trophy.

The chances of that are now greater after Martin O'Neill's side progressed to the final thanks to a bonkers extra-time victory over St Mirren.

And although Falkirk suffered heartbreak in their own semi-final a day prior, losing on penalties to bitter rivals Dunfermline Athletic, Celtic's win on Sunday gives a boost to the Bairns' hopes of European football next season.

However, a shock win for Neil Lennon's Dunfermline next month would mean European qualifiers for a club that could be playing in the second tier next term.

Given Celtic's continued underwhelming displays, that isn't too far-fetched a possibility.

Regardless of what happens in May's final, fourth place in the top flight will secure a spot in the second round of next campaign's Conference League qualifiers.

As it stands, that is also the prize for finishing third, but a Celtic Scottish Cup triumph would mean the team finishing fifth nudges in.

Motherwell are currently in the driving seat to finish fourth, three points clear of Hibs and eight ahead of Falkirk, with a superior goal difference over both clubs.

Falkirk are five points behind Hibs in fifth, with five rounds of post-split fixtures remaining. Still all to play for in the top half.

Coventry City's promotion to the Premier League could make it more difficult for Kai Andrews, currently on loan with Hibernian, to achieve his ambition of first-team football at the 19-year-old midfielder's parent club next season. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Aberdeen are weighing up whether to make a summer transfer move for Granite City-raised Hibernian attacker Martin Boyle, with the 32-year-old set to leave Easter Road at the end of the season. (Press & Journal), external

Hibs forward Martin Boyle is among a number of forward options being considered by Aberdeen but has lucrative options in Australia and Asia, while there is also interest from English clubs. (Daily Record), external

Los Angeles centre-half Ryan Porteous has not given up hope of making the Scotland squad for this summer's World Cup, despite the former Hibs 27-year-old earning his last cap more than a year ago, after a chat with head coach Steve Clarke. (The Herald), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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We asked and plenty of you decided Jamie McGrath has been Hibernian's player of the year.

The 29-year-old joined David Gray's side last summer and has been a standout in the middle of the pitch. With Hibs still battling for a European spot for next season, he could still have a huge part to play before the end of the season.

And we've taken a look at the stats behind his performances.

So far McGrath has played 31 league games for Hibs, scoring eight goals and setting up a further three. Those eight goals make him Hibs' top scorer and also the second-top scorer in the league when it comes to midfielders.

McGrath's 11 combined goals and assists is bettered only by Nygren and Rangers' Nicolas Raskin - when looking at midfielders - and is among the highest for all players in the top flight.

Of his four big chances, McGrath has scored three of them and has also created 48 chances - the most of any Hibs player and the seventh highest of any player in the league - and 29 of those have come from open play. The Irish international has also created five big chances, only Nicky Cadden has offered up more for Hibs.

If McGrath can come up with a few more goals and assists between now and the end of the season and help Hibs bag European football for next year it will be hard to look past the midfielder for Hibernian's player of the season.

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We asked for your views on who has been Hibernian's player of the season.

Here's what some of you said:

Michael: Jamie McGrath has had a really good first season for Hibs, chipping in with important goals and impressive displays in various positions. Warren O'Hora and Daniel Barlaser are also honourable mentions.

Andy: He's been out through injury but Josh Mulligan has been outstanding, and it's obvious he's sorely missed in recent weeks, with McGrath close behind him,.

Aidan: McGrath for me. European goals, derby goal, a powerhouse in the midfield and at left-back when needed there in the early part of the season.

Daniel: Our best player is by far Mulligan. We are missing him so much. But if we are talking currently playing it's between three - Nicky Cadden has been incredible at putting balls in the box but has also been out; McGrath has looked quite good but I feel he's better with Josh; and finally Owen Elding looks really good for his age. Lots of people would say Ante Suto is better but I think he's better coming off the bench than starting.

Thomas: Hibs player of the year has been McGrath - imaginative, with terrific close control and has the ability to beat a marker. Factor in Mulligan's lengthy absence and the stark reality is that the rest of the midfield are all either incapable of, or unwilling to try, turning an opponent and driving forward, opting instead for too many backwards and sideways passes.

Lee: Martin Boyle would get a nod in his final season with us but, like many this campaign, he's been a little inconsistent. For me, it's McGrath. It's the first name I'd put on the team sheet, not sure we've used him to his full potential though.

Hibs head coach David Gray is not surprised to see Miguel Chaiwa attracting interest from rival clubs, including repeated speculation linking the 21-year-old midfielder with a move to Celtic. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Hibs still hope to lure on-loan Dan Barlaser back to Easter Road when the 29-year-old midfielder's Middlesbrough contract ends this summer, but Elie Youan will exit the Leith club along with fellow forward Martin Boyle. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Hibs midfielder Josh Mulligan is "running out of weeks" to make his return from injury this season, but head coach David Gray thinks there is a "strong possibility" the Scotland international could still play. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

It's a season that's perhaps been overshadowed by the success of their city rivals Hearts, but Hibernian could still secure a place in European football.

David Gray's side have already amassed more points than last term - when they finished third - with five games still to play.

There was some impressive business at Easter Road as well as existing players stepping up, but who has been the standout this season?

We want to know your choice for Hibs player of the year. Tell us here.

Celtic could face competition from a number of clubs should they pursue their interest in 21-year-old Hibernian midfielder Miguel Chaiwa this summer. (Football Insider), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

We might still get fourth place this season but what a slog it's turning into.

Saturday's performance in Aberdeen started badly and got progressively worse.

We weren't helped by the red card flashed at Grant Hanley when Aberdeen were awarded their penalty. No complaints about the decision, it was poor play from Hanley, who's can usually be relied upon to steady things.

We could complain about the lack of a red card for Aberdeen's Emmanuel Gyamfi, who somehow got a yellow after referee David Dickinson had been sent to the VAR monitor with a recommendation to send Gyamfi off for (presumably) violent conduct.

Not that it mattered, we could still be playing now and I don't think the Aberdeen keeper would have got his gloves dirty. For a team with relegation hanging over them, the Dons won't have an easier afternoon.

Hibs have an annoying habit of letting the first 10 minutes set the tone for the rest of the game. We rarely go up through the gears to lift things when needed, so when we start as badly as we did on Saturday, you know the game isn't going to be pretty.

This is an issue David Gray must resolve. The goals have dried up (3-0 win last week aside), with three of our past four games ending without us finding the net.

Of those fixtures, we were unlucky not to score against Livingston but in the others we were lucky to get nil.

It's dreadful fare to watch and fans aren't going to be happy watching it for long.

Finally, a point on VAR. It is much decried in Scotland but Saturday showed how much it is needed. The referee missed Aberdeen's penalty (and by extension, the red card) and their second goal.

He also missed the strike from Gyamfi on Owen Elding, which should have been another key moment. That's three game-defining moments the on-field team got wrong.

Had Elding's shot gone in when he was incorrectly flagged offside, it would have also needed VAR to sort an on-field howler.

Of course, the referee still got one big call wrong but that was despite VAR, not because of it. Had he taken the VAR's guidance he would have walked off the pitch with all the major decisions in the game right, eventually.

You can find Matty Fairnie at Longbangers podcast, external

Hibernian and at least two other Scottish Premiership sides are interested in Besir Iseni, with the 25-year-old centre-half out of contract at Kosovan side KF Dukagjini in the summer. (R.org), external

Read more: Tuesday's Scottish football gossip

Hibernian must retain belief they can leapfrog Motherwell into fourth spot despite suffering defeat at Aberdeen on Saturday, says Sportscene pundit Steven Naismith.

A red card for defender Grant Hanley was followed by a double from former Hibs striker Kevin Nisbet as the struggling Dons recorded a much-needed victory.

That result, coupled with Motherwell's defeat at Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, means Hibs remain three points behind the Fir Park side, who also have a superior goal difference.

Hibs will now have a two-week break before welcoming their city rivals to Easter Road in a seismic Edinburgh derby, kicking off their post-split fixtures.

And former Hearts boss Naismith says David Gray's men should go into that five-game finale with hope they can snatch fourth place.

"Hibs are still really in the fight for fourth," he said on BBC's Sportscene. "I don't think this result will dent their confidence too much.

"The derbies have lacked quality but had lots of entertainment in the past couple of years. I imagine the one in two weeks will be really good."

Watch all the highlights of Aberdeen's 2-0 win against Hibernian.

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Hibs boss David Gray feels his side can still challenge fourth-placed Motherwell for a European slot over the remainder of the season despite seeing a six-match unbeaten run come to an end.

The Edinburgh club remain three points behind Motherwell and Gray said: "We haven't lost any ground the way the results have gone, but we're another game down and it becomes more difficult because we're running out of games.

"With the split, everyone is playing the teams round about each other with everything to play for.

"We're chasing this European place and for the neutral it keeps it exciting. For us, there's no better game to come back to than the one we have (an Edinburgh derby against leaders Hearts).

"We'll dust ourselves down from today, and the players will be up for the next one because that's the one that everyone looks forward to."

We asked for your views on Hibernian's 2-0 defeat to Aberdeen. Here's what some of you said:

John: Why bring Martin Boyle on so late? Bringing Kai Andrews on instead of Josh Campbell is mind-blowing. Tactics were not right, nor was the referee's decision making.

Ringo: Any team that's desperate for a win must love playing Hibs because they always give them the three points. I'm not going to go on about yet another loss after a few chinks of light in recent games, Hibs players now owe it to the supporters and must give their all for a derby win. Anything else isn't good enough, it's been a terrible season of inconsistency.

Kenny: Poor performance. We keep giving David Gray the benefit of the doubt, but this type of performance is happening far too often. We looked like we were happy just to go through the motions and with Motherwell losing it was an ideal chance to match them on points. We deserved absolutely nothing from this game.

Bill: Gray is making bad decisions and costing us big time. He is not fielding the best players available, sticking to his favourites each week. If he does not waken up, we won't win a game in the top six play-offs, and more importantly can we trust him with these same duds next season?

Mark: Yes, the sending off didn't help but our passing from the back third was woeful! Where is our fast passing and in behind the defence ball that we used to do? We're too slow and too sloppy with our game plan. Fourth place is there for the taking if we can get these things right.

John S: Hibs were awful against a team with no wins in nine. No fight, ball control and passing was abysmal. Having a man sent off in 16 minutes doesn't help. Referee didn't help with some of his decisions, but that is no excuse for not performing.

Aberdeen eased their Scottish Premiership relegation concerns with their first league win since January, as Kevin Nisbet's double helped them see off 10-man Hibernian.

Read the full match report here

Have your say on the game via this link

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Hibernian head coach David Gray: "We lost the game which is a game we came into in a really good place.

"I think it will be dominated by decisions that happened within the game. I can't fault the effort of the players in terms of going down to 10 men. I think the sucker punch for us was probably the timing of the second goal.

"We probably didn't force Aberdeen to defend enough, even though we were down to 10 men, that's something we'll need to look at. The second goal was avoidable, the ball is clearly over the line, but the timing of that one killed any momentum we had going in towards the end of the game.

"We've not lost ground on Motherwell but we've lost the game so we're another game down which makes it more difficult. There were still a lot of things in the game we weren't as good as we can be, the decisions weren't the only reason we didn't win the game.

"We didn't carry enough of a threat when we went down to 10 men which can happen in any game so we need to look at that. There's no better game to come back to [than a derby]. It's now the top six, every game is going to be huge and no bigger than the one that's coming up."

On Grant Hanley's red card and resulting penalty: "I think he's unlucky. The timing of it, the wind, I think the initial foul is just outside the box but as Grant fell I can see why he gave it. It's definitely accidental but definitely a foul. That's one we have to just accept."

On the red card check for Emmanuel Gyamfi's foul on Owen Elding, Gray added: "The biggest thing for me is I saw it at the time and thought it was a foul.

"The fact the referee missed the foul was hugely frustrating for me. When VAR intervene they only do that because they believe it's a red card. As he goes over, on one hand credit with the referee for sticking to his guns. I'm not one for criticising, they've got a difficult job but when you see it again at full speed I think it would be in the soft category but I think it is a red card. Sped up it's a clear contact at the back of the head so for me it's the violent conduct."

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Hibs teenager Owen Elding has the potential to bring in a higher transfer fee than the £6m Kieron Bowie was sold for in January, reckons former Easter Road forward Tam McManus. (Daily Record - subscription required), external

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Aberdeen midfielder Dennis Geiger will have a late fitness test.

Centre-back Mats Knoester will return to training following his concussion on Monday, while Nicky Devlin, Kristers Tobers and Nick Suman remain out.

Right-back Nicky Cadden returns to the Hibernian squad.

But Rudi Molotnikov, Josh Mulligan and Munashe Garananga are unavailable.

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Hibs head coach David Gray expects a tough test for his side at Pittodrie but is also eager to embrace an opportunity to take a step closer to fourth place.

The Easter Road side are unbeaten in six games, and defeated Kilmarnock 3-0 last time out, meaning they are just three points behind fourth-placed Motherwell with six games left to play.

While Motherwell travel to face Premiership leaders Hearts, Hibs head to Pittodrie to face struggling Aberdeen and while Gray expects Stephen Robinson's side to be well-organised, he knows there's a chance to take another step forward.

"It's certainly a difficult game, they always are when they go up there," the Hibs head coach said. "But an opportunity for us because of Motherwell and Falkirk playing teams in the top six as well.

"I said it last week, the mindset won't change this week, which is that all we can control is ourselves. We go and do our job and if we can do that, whatever else happens we can't control.

"But we might move closer, we might move further away, it doesn't really matter, all we can do is our job."

Gray has seen how Aberdeen have been drawn deeper into relegation worries and are yet to win under their new manager but he says while it isn't a shock, he still believes they have a lot going for them and a point to prove.

"Nothing surprises me in Scottish football at all, if I'm being honest," he said.

"I think that's something I've come to learn pretty quickly across the piece. One thing I do know is they've got a lot of good players, a very experienced coach, a very successful coach. And he's gone in during the season, which is obviously a difficult time to come, a transitional period.

"So we're under no illusions of the tests that we're going to face. But we're going into it in a very positive frame of mind ourselves with three clean sheets in a row, and an opportunity to build on last weekend, which is what we want to do."

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• All four of Ante Suto's Scottish Premiership goals for Hibernian have come as a substitute, the joint-most goals from the bench of any player in the competition this season (Marko Lazetic also four).

• Hibernian have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three league games, last doing so four times in a row in the Scottish Premiership in March 2022 under Shaun Maloney - a run that was ended by a 3-1 defeat at Aberdeen.

• No side has lost more games in the Scottish Premiership this season than Aberdeen (18, level with Livingston), while it's their most league defeats in a single campaign since 2010-11 (22).

• Hibernian have won three of their last five league visits to Aberdeen (D1 L1), and are looking to win there successively for the first time since September 2004.

• Aberdeen have lost both of their two previous league meetings with Hibernian this season, but haven't lost three in a row against Hibs since December 2004, and last did so within a single league campaign in 2002-03.