Kyle Magennis admits he’s got a point to prove – and there’s no better place to start than Ibrox.
Next month marks three years since the midfielder’s career was cruelly stalled by an agonising ACL rupture in Govan just seven minutes into what transpired to be his last game for St Mirren. Hibs gambled on signing the Scotland Under-21 cap just as he returned from that devastating injury.
But Magennis has been struck down by an unrelated knee injury and a groin problem, restricting him to only 41 appearances in three seasons. Now though, as Hibs prepare for their first trip to Ibrox this season, Magennis is bursting to get back out on the pitch after using the five-week World Cup break to get close to peak condition. There’s no shying away from the fact he has doubters to prove wrong. With games against both sides of the Old Firm and a New Year Edinburgh derby on the horizon, Magennis hopes to waste no more time.
And he’s determined to prove he’s still the same talented playmaker who earned a five-year deal under former Hibees boss Jack Ross. He said: “ I’ve got a point to prove. I try to get over every injury. Some fans or some people may doubt me but I need to go and prove to them and prove to myself that I am the player I was before. I truly believe I am.
“I did my cruciate at Ibrox. So it’s not a good place for me. I definitely want to change those memories.
”It feels like the start of the season for me. I am looking forward to the rest of the season and hopefully staying clear of injuries. I’m feeling good so hopefully I can kick on.
“We have a difficult run of games coming, we just need to believe in ourselves. These are the games you want to play in, against the Old Firm and the Edinburgh derby, you want to show what you can do in these matches.”
It’s not just Magennis with a point to prove tonight. On their last trip to Glasgow, Hibs were dismantled 6-1 by champions Celtic in a display that left boss Lee Johnson horrified. He claimed the players were “brainwashed” into believing they were beaten before a ball was kicked when they faced the Old Firm.
Magennis knows tonight’s task will be made all the more difficult with Rangers hoping to benefit from a Michael Beale bounce as the new boss takes charge for the first time.
But he is adamant there’s no defeatist attitude in the Hibees squad. He said: “No, not me personally, I always believe going into every game that I can take something from it.
“There’s no point playing football if you don’t believe in yourself. It’s always a difficult game. But I’m sure everyone believes in themselves, otherwise we wouldn’t be at this level playing football. You need to be positive and focused for 90 minutes.
“You are playing against really good players so if there’s one lapse of concentration you can be a goal down. These games are brilliant. You want to be playing in these kind of matches when you are growing up in Glasgow. Playing against the Old Firm is what you aspire to do.
“Rangers at Ibrox is always difficult. Every time you play there they have a massive crowd behind them and they’re trying to prove a point that they’re the best team.
“So it will be difficult but we just need to believe in ourselves. I have seen them saying they are going to try and press a bit higher so maybe that’s something they are going to implement.
“When you go to Ibrox they’re always going to try and get you on the back foot, you just need to deal with that.
“When teams change manager they always get a boost in the first few games, don’t they? We’ll see what happens.”
Hibs will benefit from the return of Kevin NIsbet from his own 10-month ACL injury lay-off while Aiden McGeady could also play a part after shaking off a knee problem.
Magennis reckons both players could have a big part to play. And he insists cool heads will win the day in a fixture which has ignited more than once in recent years.
He said: “Yes, definitely. Even more so that there is VAR now.
“Everything will be getting checked. If you lose a man at Parkhead or Ibrox you are in for an even tougher task. So you have to focus on keeping 11 on the park and then go from there.
“Kevin has shown what he has done for the team before. He’s scored a lot of goals and created a lot of chances. He’s a big player for us and it’s brilliant to have him back.
“Aiden’s played at the highest level so it’s good he’s back.”
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