The Edinburgh Reporter December 2023

Ian Jacobs

20 SPORT

Levitt is ‘buzzing’ at Hibernian

As good as gold

Difficult December

ahead for Hibs

New Year’s Day punters

at Musselburgh will be

given the chance to win

membership golden ticket

By STEPHEN RAFFERTY

NEW YEAR’S DAY first footers at Musselburgh

Racecourse will have a chance to win a Golden

Ticket which secures an annual Grandstand

Membership to 24 of the East Lothian course’s

2024 race meetings.

Musselburgh’s New Year’s Day meeting is

one of Scotland’s largest sporting events held

on 1 January and it is heading for a 6,000-plus

sell out attendance. The £100,000 fixture of

competitive jumps racing includes the £40,

feature race, the Auld Reekie Handicap Stakes,

and the £30,000 Hogmaneigh Hurdle.

To celebrate the New Year, 24 envelopes

with fantastic prizes will be hidden around

the course - with one containing a Golden

Ticket which provides priority entry and

exclusive grandstand viewing and tickets

to other race days throughout the year.

Aisling Johnston, Marketing Manager at

Musselburgh Racecourse, said: “We are

beginning 2024 with a flying start and promise

to keep the festive fun going well past the bells.

Each year we are adding exciting and fun

elements to this day, perfect for a post-

Christmas get-together that has something for

everyone.

“The Golden Ticket hunt is a new and

exciting addition to what will be a fantastic

start to the year and eagle-eyed guests have a

chance to win entry to all of our exciting race

days over the next 12 months.”

The racecourse is making it easier for

racegoers and revellers to join the celebrations,

putting on “first footer” ticketed bus travel

from Penicuik, Dalkeith, Galashiels,

Gorebridge, Dunbar, Haddington and central

Edinburgh to ferry guests to and from the East

Lothian venue.

Aisling added: “New Year’s Day is one big

party at Musselburgh and I would encourage

people to get their tickets soon to avoid

disappointment, as the event usually sells out

and we predict this year will be no different.”

The entertainment continues off the track in

the heated Highland Fling Marquee with live

music from Kilter Ceilidh Band and the

marquees will have TV screens showing all the

racing action.

Gates open at 10.30am, provisional

times for the first and last race are

12.25pm and 3.20pm.

http://www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk/fixtures

By CALLUM NAPIER

WHEN WELSHMAN Dylan

Levitt signed for Hibs in the

summer, he would not have

predicted such a disruptive

start to his career down at

Easter Road.

His first competitive game

was the disastrous UEFA

Conference League defeat to

Andorran minnows Inter Club

d'Escaldes and a few weeks

later the Head Coach who

brought him to the club, Lee

Johnson, was sacked.

As new boss Nick

Montgomery was appointed,

Levitt was just returning to full

fitness from an ankle injury

that he had suffered in the

European return leg.

After a couple of weeks

side-lined and a few

appearances off the bench,

Levitt now finds himself in

Montgomery’s starting

eleven, and in recent weeks

he has flourished in the

centre of midfield alongside

Joe Newell.

At the League Cup

semi-final against Aberdeen,

Levitt played well and was

unlucky to suffer defeat, he

then continued his good form

in the recent 1-0 victory over

Kilmarnock. It would appear

that the new system is ideal

for the 23-year-old.

Discussing Montgomery’s

style of play, he said: “I didn’t

know much but the first day

he came in was my first

day training after coming

back from injury. Ever since

then, he laid down what he

wanted from everyone in

each position.

“It’s exciting when a new

manager comes in, and the

way he sets us up suits me

perfectly, so when he first

came in, I was buzzing to be

involved. He laid it down from

day one and everyone is

buying into it.”

On whether he was worried

that he couldn’t showcase his

talents straight away, Levitt

said: “You’ve always got that

little doubt in your mind

coming back from injury no

matter where you are if a new

manager has come in.

“Just getting back up to

fitness, taking everything

on board tactically from

what he was wanting from

midfielders so I would know

what I was doing.”

Despite his young age,

Levitt brings plenty of

experience from former

club Dundee United, where

he was the star man and

already has 13 international

caps to his name.

Now, the Welshman will be

looking to kick on with Hibs

and get back into his

country's squad after missing

out on selection for their

recent matches.

Eagerly looking towards

the future, Levitt said:

“I think there is much more

to come from me.”

By CALLUM NAPIER

AFTER WINNING their last two matches,

Hibs have shown a different side to their

game ahead of a testing run of fixtures

in December.

Sandwiched between home games

against Aberdeen and Hearts at the

beginning and end of the month are four

away trips in a row. Prior to the last home

fixture against Kilmarnock, Hibs were on

a run of seven without a win. Nick

Montgomery said: “I’ve been really happy

with the improvements we’ve made.

“Now I just want to continue to push

forward and turn some of these draws

into wins.”

Since then, they have ground out

victories against difficult opponents in

Kilmarnock and Dundee.

A turn in fortunes for Portuguese

youngster Jair Tavares has coincided with

Hibs’ recent form. The 22-year-old was

exiled under previous management but

has flourished since the arrival of

Montgomery, scoring two goals in four

games, and putting in a man of the

match performance against Dundee.

Tavares and Hibs will look to continue

their run of victories as they approach

the hectic festive footballing period.

Hibernian FC

Dylan Levitt

Jair

Tavares