HIBS ace Stevie Mallan has hit a major milestone on the comeback trail after emerging unscathed from a bounce game on Wednesday.
Mallan, 24, played the full 90 minutes as the Hibees succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against Livingston at the club’s East Lothian training base, showing no ill effects of the persistent knee complaint which has plagued his 2020.
The playmaker, who underwent surgery to repair the issue at the start of the year, has not featured in a competitive game since the Hibees’ 2-0 triumph over Hearts last December.
However, he is closing in on a long-awaited first-team return following his friendly outing against the Lions.
Mallan will now be in contention for Sunday’s trip to St Johnstone.
The fixture, which also saw Sean Mackie step up his recovery from an ankle injury, was arranged to give Hibs’ fringe stars a much-needed run-out.
Head coach Jack Ross has largely utilised the same players during Hibs’ unbeaten start to the campaign and this allowed the likes of captain David Gray, Darren McGregor, Lewis Stevenson, Melker Hallberg and Jamie Gullan to get valuable minutes under their belts.
