3 hours Ago By John Greechan
Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Dwight Gayle has always understood the power of goals. His entire career, up to and including impressive campaigns in the Premier League, has been built on netting big winners and crucial equalisers when it mattered most.
But the former Newcastle and Crystal Palace forward seemed to have been genuinely surprised by the impact of his beautifully-timed strike to secure Hibs victory over local rivals Hearts at Tynecastle the last time these teams meet. The thrill of that brilliantly barmy Boxing Day moment, and the celebrations that followed, were just the start. Advertisement Advertisement Gayle, who has since grown used to Hibs fans approaching him to share their memories of that day, revealed: “People say that obviously they love the fact that you were able to give them such a special moment.
People stop you in the street and they sort of let you know where they were, what they did in their front rooms and at the pub and stuff like that. Or how they were able to get bragging rights over friends and stuff. “So it just shows you what it means to a lot of people.
It just shows you how much people appreciate it really. “I just remember Tynecastle, I just remember having goosebumps. Like this doesn't happen too often.
Being able to be a part of something like that, you just forget that sometimes as a player “When you start coming towards the end you almost start to realise that it's not going to be happening too many more times. So it makes you appreciate it a bit more. Advertisement Advertisement “Even Dundee United away the other day, being able to celebrate with the fans and staff, those are special moments.
Junior coming on with the goal at the end, it's just nice to be part of that great vibe.” When it was pointed out that Gayle, who set up fellow substitute Junior Hoilett for the third goal in Wednesday night’s 3-1 win, had shown a fair turn of pace as he ran towards the Shed end of Tannadice to join in the celebrations at full-time, the 35-year-old smiled as he admitted: “Yeah, I don't think I would have been able to do that too many more times to be fair! But no, it was a great moment for us - and you see what it means to the group.” With retirement all but certainly beckoning at the end of this season, Gayle has a few ambitions left to fulfil.
Lifting some silverware with Hibs would be ideal, of course. Beyond that, though, he’s in the market for memories. Experiences that he’ll carry with him once the boots have finally been hung up.
Advertisement Advertisement Scoring against Hearts was pretty sweet. So, too, being part of a Hibs side serenaded with an emotional rendition of Sunshine on Leith following last weekend’s Easter Road win over Celtic. That rather whetted his appetite for the prospect of winning an Edinburgh derby in front of a home support in tomorrow’s lunchtime kick-off, Gayle admitting: “Yeah, I mean, some of the video clips and stuff are very special.
A lot of my friends came up to the Celtic game and just said they haven't experienced something like that. I include myself in that. “It was a really nice moment to sing the song with the fans and to be able to put on such a performance on Saturday for the fans was fantastic.
I'd really like to experience it again this weekend. “You can see what it means to the boys at the moment, being able to celebrate with the fans. It's just a really nice bond at the moment.
” Advertisement Advertisement Speaking last week, young midfielder Nathan Moriah-Welsh became the latest in a long line of Hibs players to talk in glowing terms about the influence Gayle is having on their progression through the professional ranks. It seems like only yesterday, the veteran admits, when he was the wide-eyed kid soaking up knowledge from a couple of old boys at Palace. “Yeah, I didn't know that to be fair,” said Gayle, when told about his team-mate’s words of praise.
“I hadn't heard that - but that's really nice to hear. “Obviously, getting to be one of the older players now, it is my job to be one of the spokespeople to help people when they're not in the team and stuff. I feel like I was helpful with people like Rocky Bushiri and Jack Iredale who weren't in the side at the beginning of the season - but they're great professionals in terms of application and training and waiting for their chance.
Obviously, they proved their worth by what they've been able to do recently, and Nathan as well. GET THE LATEST HIBS NEWS DIRECTLY TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX WITH OUR FREE NEWSLETTER SERVICE Advertisement Advertisement “Me and Nathan get on really well and I've been trying to mould him into being the best he can. He's an unbelievable player and he's got a great understanding of the game.
He's obviously had a good upbringing in that case and he's showing now with his two performances so far and hopefully he continues it. “In terms of people that looked after me, I think of people like Jason Puncheon and Scott Dann, some of the older pros at Crystal Palace. There was a great dressing room where I come into it very immature in the whole professional gam; I felt like that was the great dressing room for me to come into in terms of moulding me into a correct pro and a good player.
“Obviously I always say to the boys to enjoy it for what it is because it flies by. It definitely does.” Your next Hibs read - Gray’s men ‘getting away with one’ is proof of a team making own luck.
