They say you should never go back.
But Martin Boyle blew that theory out of the water after his heroic Hibs return. The Australian international returned on a three-year deal after an ill-fated six month stint in Saudi Arabia that saw former club Al Faisaly relegated. He was only registered to play in time to face Hearts a few hours before the first Edinburgh derby of the season.
He was introduced with the Hibees trailing 1-0 after Lawrence Shankland ’s maiden league striker in maroon had given the jambos a half-time lead. That looked like being enough to secure a third derby win on the trot for the Tynecastle club as the five minutes of stoppage time ticked down. But Boyle got on the end of an Elie Youan cutback to snatch a point with the final kick of the game and send three quarters of Easter Road wild with delight.
Lee Johnson admitted afterwards that one member of the Hibs hierarchy urged him not to pitch Boyle into the derby so soon after coming back from the Gulf. But Johnson was proved correct after the 29-year-old’s dramatic contribution that saved his team from another derby defeat.
And he’s not the only one to have come back with a bang for a second spell at a Premiership club. Record Sport looks back at some of the others who have found the net on their second debuts.
Kyle Lafferty - Rangers
The Northern irishman left Ibrox initially after liquidation in 2012. The frontman objected to his contract being transferred over to the new company set up by Charles Green, preferring to leave as a free agent.
He headed to Switzerland with Sion before spells with Palermo in Serie B and Norwich City. Lafferty made his return to Scotland with Hearts in 2017, and enjoyed a fruitful spell at Tynecastle. He netted 19 goals in a season and a bit, with that return tempting Steven Gerrard to bring him back to the blue side of Glasgow.
He started well, being pitched in for his debut away to Motherwell and bagged a brace as Rangers played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at Fir Park. He would score just two more for his boyhood club however and struggled for regular game time second time around and left at the end of the season when his contract was mutually terminated.
Rudi Skacel - Hearts
The Czech talisman picked up where he left off on his return to Tynecastle. Skacel had left after hitting 18 goals while on loan from Marseilles in 2005/06, helping the Jambos finish second in the league and win the Scottish Cup.
He was signed permanently then sold immediately to SOuthampton for £1.6million. A nomadic existence followed, with a loan spell to Hertha Berlin before returning to Slavia Prague. A six month stay at Larissa in Cyprus preceded his return to Edinburgh.
On his second bow in maroon, Skacel opened the scoring in a home game against Rangers, but future Jambo Steven Naismith had the last word with a late winner in a 2-1 win. But that was merely a blip for Skacel, who continued his goalscoring form, culminating in a 2012 Scottish Cup final double in a 5-1 hammering of Hibs to say farewell for the second time.
Shaun Maloney - Celtic
The diminutive attacker came through the youth ranks at Celtic, making his first debut in the Hoops during a 3-0 win at Ibrox. Not bad, not bad at all.
By the time he moved on to Aston Villa in January 2017, he’d scored 37 times in 139 appearances for Celtic. 18 months later he was back. And while he didn’t find the net on his debut, he did provide two assists in a Man of the Match performance after coming off the bench to replace Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in a 3-0 home win over Falkirk.
He was on target soon after as Celtic beat Motherwell 4-2 and then again the following week in a 301 triumph at Kilmarnock. However injuries plagued his second spell in Glasgow’s east end, and Maloney returned south to Wigan Athletic for £850,000 in August 2011, where he would go on to lift the FA Cup in a shock Wembley win over Manchester City.
Neil McCann - Dundee
The winger left Dundee for Hearts in 1996 and spent the next 15 years away from Dens Park. He returned to Hearts for a second spell in 2006, but it was unexpected second debut for Dundee that was fairytale stuff.
He put his pundit role with Sky Sports on hold to help the Dee in their hour of need. Administration saw them deducted 25 points at the beginning of the 2010/11 season and looked certainties to be relegated from the Championship.
But in what became known as the Dee-fiant campaign, they pulled off the great escape, and McCann played a dramatic part. Signed as a 36-year-old amateur having retired 15 months previously, McCann rolled back the years and scored a last-minute winner to beat Raith Rovers to claim a crucial three points in the fight for survival. A 20-match unbeaten run saw they stay up comfortably, ending the season in sixth place.
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