Lee Johnson has described Martin Boyle's Edinburgh derby impact as 'Roy of the Rovers stuff' as he hailed the big capture of the attacker.
Hibs brought back the attacker just eight months after his departure to Saudi Arabia with Al-Faisaly in a reported £3million transfer. The Easter Road side have in turn spent a lot of money in terms of getting the deal over the line to bring him back and the Hibees gaffer made the big call to include him as part of his squad to face Hearts.
His big decision paid off as the 29-year-old climbed off the bench to hit a leveller with the final kick of the ball in what was a fairytale return to the club. His goal sparked wild scenes amongst the players, staff and fans as the capital club made it four points from a possible six to kick off the new season. Boss Johnson has now opened up on the whirlwind transfer for Boyle and his reasons behind bringing him back to the club.
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READ MORE: Martin Boyle Hibs contract details emerge as Lee Johnson labels move 'huge boost' and hails board
Speaking about his instant impact, he said: "It's Roy of the Rovers stuff isn't it? If you wrote a comic book strip and he was the star of the show, I'm not sure you could write it better than that.
"He's buzzing but the boys were buzzing as well when we told them yesterday. Thanks to all the administration team who got this over the line and even the Saudi FA did brilliantly to fast-track it for us.
"It's sometimes a sliding door moments, and that's important for our journey, to continue the momentum, to continue the belief.
"It's two games unbeaten, two 90-plus minute goals, all of a sudden the boys are lifted during the week and we can go into the next important game with a nice vibe.
"We signed him because he's such a big player. We spent a lot of money on him in terms of the deal and the way it's worked and when you do that, you need something back in terms of the players have got to pay for that.
"He's done that today and he's just a good character. It's not just the value he'll add on the pitch, it's what he adds off it as well.
"We're a little bit quiet at times and he's like a jack-in-the-box, always bouncing around and he's got that nice character to bring the best out of other people.
"You wouldn't say he's a captain-type leader but he makes people feel comfortable and on a human level that's really important, to keep bringing guys like that into the squad."
READ NEXT:
- Hibs fans launch pitch invasion as derby exuberance spills onto pitch after Martin Boyle heroics
- Lee Johnson ignored Hibs hierarchy advice over Martin Boyle as he sends 'very gentle' reminder
- Robbie Neilson highlights Hibs 'talk' as he bigs up Hearts domination in recent derby clashes
- Three things we learned from Hibs vs Hearts as Boyle in heroic return and Shankland off the mark
- Hearts player showered with chips as fans hurl objects during Edinburgh derby
