Okay, Alan O'Brien is hardly a stranger, having arrived in Edinburgh a year ago. Many Hibs fans, however, would struggle to put a name to the face if the Republic of Ireland winger was to pass them on Princes Street.
Tagged the "new Ivan Sproule",
a reference to the blistering pace with which he was said to be blessed, O'Brien – by his own admission – endured a miserable first season in a green-and-white jersey, at least on those occasions he pulled one over his head.
To be honest, O'Brien could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of full games he played, more often than not reduced to cameo appearances when injury allowed. As any player will tell you, a few minutes here and there isn't enough, particularly when you have just arrived at a new club.
Invariably, as happened in O'Brien's case, a vicious downward spiral ensues. Lack of match time leads to a drop in confidence and, inevitably, there's a rush to judgment in the stands, with many fans quickly writing the player off as not fit for purpose.
It probably doesn't help that O'Brien comes over as a somewhat shy individual, someone who would rather remain in the background rather than try to hog the limelight. That may be, but there's no escaping one fact – you don't get signed by a club like Newcastle United, or play for Ireland, if you are totally devoid of talent.
Now, he insists, he's ready to push the bitter memories of last season to one side and concentrate on winning over the Easter Road fans, and with performances such as he produced on the plastic pitch in the Boras Arena, there's little doubt O'Brien has the ability to do so.
Certainly the evidence of one game isn't sufficient to go making rash predictions, but the self-effacing Irishman was clearly quietly content with his display against IF Elfsborg, even if, like his team-mates, he was bitterly disappointed that the Swedish team repeated the 2-0 win they'd enjoyed in Edinburgh six days earlier, knocking Hibs out of the InterToto Cup 4-0 on aggregate.
Bare-chested, his jersey having been handed over to one of the 300 or so travelling Hibs fans in appreciation of the support they'd given him, O'Brien said: "I feel a different player this season to last season.
"I feel a lot better. My confidence is up. I know how well I can play and it is now up to me to show myself and everyone else what I can do.
"I was more disappointed than anyone with last season, but now I am trying to make a fresh start. I don't think I have anything to prove to anyone but myself. I appreciated the reaction of the fans when we went to them at the end of the game and I showed that by handing my jersey to one of them."
Often an isolated figure in the past, hugging the left touchline in the hope of getting the ball, O'Brien showed signs against a defence which had conceded a mere four goals in 13 league matches that he's capable of causing anyone more than a few difficulties.
Just ask Elfsborg full-back Johan Karlsson – he was left panting in the Irishman's wake as he turned the afterburners on to full blast to zip past him before driving in a rising shot which Swedish goalkeeper Johan Wiland just managed to beat to safety.
It was a moment which almost provided Hibs with their wish, an early first goal to test their hosts' nerve, particularly given Elfsborg's shock defeat – their first at home – by lowly Gefle only a few days earlier.
It proved a pivotal moment, as Elfsborg killed the tie with their opening goal just four minutes later. As with their second strike at Easter Road, the goal owed a lot to luck, as Mathias Floren's shot spun off Chris Hogg and beyond the despairing dive of Andy McNeil.
If the goalkeeper's culpability was in question, so too was that of those in front of him, as they had offered Floren the space to shoot.
They did so again late in the match. This time, Emir Bajrami made the most of the backtracking defence before unleashing a spectacular drive which flew into the top corner of the net.
A disappointed Paatelainen admitted his players needed to learn how to defend as a team, adding: "Some players switch off and do not do their job. It makes it very difficult to get a good performance if one or two are not doing it."
Paatelainen remained convinced the InterToto experience will stand his players in good stead when the SPL season gets underway on August 9. He said: "We had a couple of chances to score but I felt our passing was really poor in the first half.
"We gave the ball away far too easily, concentration was poor and I think the boys were just a bit too eager to get forward and score that first goal." At one stage, O'Brien again left not only Floren but half the Elfsborg team chasing him in vain as he set off on a lung-bursting 70 yard dash, only to see Wiland clutch the ball before it could reach Steven Fletcher.
After the game he agreed with his manager that entering the competition was the right thing to do, even though Hibs now find themselves out of Europe before the season has properly started.
Insisting the back-to-back defeats won't dent confidence, he said: "Obviously we are disappointed, but it's been a good experience, the first in Europe for many of us, and I think we'll be much sharper for it.
"You can't take anything away from the quality of Elfsborg. They've got Swedish internationalists, players who have played in the English Premiership.
"They played in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup last season, and they are halfway through their season and doing well, so I don't think you could expect too much too soon from us.
"It was a big step up for us at this time but I'd like to think that at another stage in the season, on our day, we'd beat them. Now we have to look to get into the UEFA Cup by finishing high up the SPL. You need to have optimism and we feel we can do well." Time will tell, just as it will pass judgment on O'Brien, but you can sense a different player desperate to finally make his mark. Someone full of quiet confidence.
The full article contains 1152 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
