Absolutely Ridiculous: Theo Bair Says He will never play with Motherwell again till coach Stuart Kettlewell will leave…..

Meanwhile, although Heart of Midlothian appear to have third place sewn up, the battles for European football- as well as the top six and to avoid relegation remain tight before five games on Saturday and Rangers’ visit St Johnstone on Sunday.

Both sides have identical records of six wins and eight draws from 24 outings, which is why they are languishing in the wrong half of the Premiership, behind four rivals who are run on much more modest budgets.

One third of Hibs’ victories have come against Aberdeen, thanks to a couple of 2-0 successes. In between, there was a drab League Cup semi-final, nicked by the 10-man Dons.

It’s worth noting that almost 20 years have passed since the Edinburgh side enjoyed three top-flight wins in a row against Aberdeen.

Hibs head coach Nick Montgomery played under Neil Warnock for seven years at Sheffield United, so there will be a nice reunion, but that’s where pleasantries will end.

Warnock will be hoping it’s third time lucky as he seeks a first league win after a narrow defeat at Ibrox and Wednesday’s topsy-turvy 3-3 draw at home to Motherwell. Montgomery is without a win in seven league matches, losing five of them.

The spirit shown in a stirring comeback from 3-0 down delighted Warnock, while the Hibs boss will be heartened by a much-improved display in a cruel loss to Celtic and a comfortable cup win in Inverness last time out – with five January signings in the starting XI at Caledonian Stadium.

This has the feel of a huge match for both managers as time to rescue a respectable campaign ticks away.