The magic number: How Hibs can save their season after failure to launch

From their current position just a few feet above the launch pad, the goal of qualifying for European football via the league standings looks like an ambition of stratospheric proportions. The chances of Hibs suddenly rocketing up the table are, in the eyes of most neutral judges, on a par with NASA offering day trips to the moon for £6.50 a head.

As the smartest people in the cleverest working parties at Cape Kennedy could testify, however, the only way to tackle a long journey is to break it down into more manageable stages. Nick Montgomery’s men will be looking no further than the low orbit of a top-six position. When the Scottish Premiership elite jettison the bottom half, they cannot afford to be left behind.