Paul Heckingbottom has been well aware of the qualities Steve Clarke possesses as a coach for some time.
The pair’s paths crossed in England and they’ve met on coaching courses more recently.
They’ll come face to face once again when Kilmarnock head to Easter Road tomorrow night with the top six split effectively having already happened for Hibs, given the fixtures they have left.
A win puts them just three points behind Killie, whereas defeat would make catching them unlikely.
Being in the position where such scenarios could be discussed however, was the aim for Hibs.
The calibre of Clarke and other coaches in the division was one factor that appealed to Heckingbottom when he decided to take the Hibs job.
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“He has signed good players. There’s a lot of experience in that group and Steve has got them playing in a way where they’re all working for each other too.
“We know how dangerous they are and if you look at them in that respect you can’t be surprised by where they are.
“I’ve come up against him in games and crossed paths with him on coaching courses.
“Steve is experienced and the level of players and clubs he’s worked with is another reason why you’re not surprised where they are.
“He’s made good signings, he’s got a good squad of players. He’s a good manager with good coaches who set the team up in a way which suits.
“I also think because Steve is so clear in how he wants to play that’s made his recruitment easier as well.
“He sees the players who can perform the roles and they’ve made the most of everything they have got.
“Obviously Brendan has gone but the big clubs historic clubs are in the top division and it’s not been that way for a while.
“The names of managers and coaches working here, they’re all there.
“It was something wasn’t a worry in that respect. It means you can take the decision on this football club.
“What I thought I could do here, was I right for the club and were they right for me?
“It was all I had to consider. In terms of everything else you knew the challenges, the state of Scottish football was the best it’s been for a long time.”
It’s not just the Killie boss Heckingbottom is familiar with either, with those under his direction well known to him too.. “Yeah, I’ve come up against them, watched them because they’ve been offered to me before at other clubs.
“It’s great that he’s managed to get them come up here.
“But he’s obviously known what they can do for him – and he’s picked the right players.”
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Wednesday’s game is followed swiftly by a trip to Tynecastle for the third Edinburgh derby of the season, before Hibs presumably embark on their post-split fixtures against the rest of the top six.
The matches will just get harder and harder, but that’s exactly how Heckingbottom wants it. “If it goes how we want it to go, the games should just get tougher,” he said.
“In the short term, we wanted to get to the top six. That does look achievable now. That’s through the hard work of the players and the results we’ve got.
“But, if we get there, it gets even harder – because all we’re doing then is playing teams above us. And that’s what we want.”
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