Hibernian

Jake Doyle-Hayes excited for "amazing" return of Hibernian fans

| 30 July 2021

The former St Mirren midfielder played for an hour in Hibernian's 2-1 Europa Conference League qualifying win over Santa Coloma in Andorra.

Jake Doyle-Hayes is savouring the prospect of finally playing in front of fans for the first time in Scotland after making his delayed Hibernian debut.

The former St Mirren midfielder played for an hour in Hibernian's 2-1 Europa Conference League qualifying win over Santa Coloma in Andorra, which set up a third-round clash against Croatian side Rijeka.

Now he hopes to feature against Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday in Hibs' cinch Premiership opener.

"I'm delighted to be back out there on the pitch," the 22-year-old Irishman said.

"The summer was frustrating, I picked up a bit of a hamstring injury, which wasn't ideal.

"But I was absolutely delighted to get out there and into this jersey and to progress to the next round.

"It was tough conditions, it was so hot. For large parts we controlled the game and played at our own tempo, so that helped a lot. It was a great feeling to be back out there with my new team-mates."

Hibs have been handed 2,000 tickets for Fir Park, with Motherwell on the way to selling out 4,500 home seats.

"It will be unbelievable," Doyle-Hayes said. "Last season I was up here in Scotland and didn't have any fans and didn't experience anything.

"It will be amazing to have them back and hopefully we can hit the ground running and get the season off to a positive start."