Passlack takes the armband as bottom-placed Hibs prepare to face the champions
Thursday 22 October 2026 · By Niamh Boyle
Marink Reedijk has made a big call at Hibs. Long-serving Martin Boyle has handed the match-day captaincy to Felix Passlack, and Reedijk says the German is exactly the kind of leader his side needs right now.
"Felix is, for me, a leader by example," Reedijk told the Edinburgh Evening News. "He goes a thousand miles." Boyle, he said, "completely bought into it and agreed". Joe Newell remains club captain.
It's a significant moment for a club that's bottom of the Premiership. Hibs lost 2–1 at home to Falkirk last Saturday, their seventh straight home league defeat, and Reedijk has lost both of his games in charge so far.
Things don't get any easier this weekend. Celtic, fresh from a 7–1 win over Hearts, visit Easter Road on Sunday (12:00), live on Sky Sports. The clocks go back that morning, so supporters should make sure they're not an hour early.
Reedijk will be without some key players. Callum Wright's scan on his groin injury was "better than expected", but he's still out for "a few weeks". Nathan Lowe, on loan from Stoke, has a back problem that could keep him out for "a matter of days, maybe some weeks". He's likely to miss Sunday's game.
They join a long list of absentees. Bushiri, Devaney, Megwa and Obita are all out long-term, and Reedijk summed it up simply. "Nobody comes back," he said. There was some relief, though, with Mayor and McGrath both "still alright".
Goals have been a problem. Hibs have scored just nine in nine league games, but Reedijk isn't panicking. "Life is like a ketchup bottle," he said, and he'll be hoping that once the goals start, they'll keep coming.
The Falkirk defeat was a painful one. Jacob Murrell scored twice, and although Elding pulled one back, Hibs couldn't find an equaliser despite plenty of possession. They're now on seven points, one behind Motherwell and Kilmarnock, and two behind Falkirk.
Off the pitch, the club's ban on the Block Seven supporters group continues for Sunday's game. The three-game ban covered last week's Falkirk game, Celtic on Sunday and next Wednesday's trip to St Mirren.
That game in Paisley on Wednesday 28 October (19:45) is a big one. St Mirren have lost five in a row, so it's a chance for Hibs to pick up points against a side also struggling for form.
Then comes the biggest game of the lot: a Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Hearts at Hampden on Sunday 1 November (15:00). An Edinburgh derby with a cup final at stake would be the perfect way to lift the mood. Further ahead, Hibs' home game with Dundee has been moved to Tuesday 24 November.
It's a tough run of three games in eight days, but it's also a real opportunity. A new captain, a fresh voice and a manager still looking for his first win. Hibs need a spark, and Reedijk is hoping Passlack can provide it.
Easter Road is the home of Hibernian, in Leith in the east of Edinburgh, at 12 Albion Place, EH7 5QG. It is an all-seated bowl of 20,421, rebuilt between 1995 and 2010, and it still feels like a neighbourhood ground. Visiting supporters are almost always in the South Stand, behind the goal at the south end. For most games that is the lower tier. Bigger followings, especially Hearts, Celtic and Rangers, can be given the whole stand. Seats are allocated, turnstiles are cashless, and tickets are not sold on the gate, so buy before you travel.
The plan above is drawn roughly to the pitch, which runs north to south at about 105 by 68 metres. The goals sit on the goal lines in front of the end stands, not the side stands. The Famous Five Stand is behind the north goal, named for Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond. It is home support, two tiers, with rail seating in the lower tier. The South Stand, gold on the diagram so you can pick it out, mirrors it: two tiers, a cantilever roof, and an upper deck that angles in at the corners because the streets behind would not allow a plain rectangle. Each end holds a little under 4,000.
The West Stand, on the west touchline, is the main stand, opened in 2001. It is two-tiered, about 6,500 seats, with the tunnel and dugouts on this side. Opposite, the single-tier Pat Stanton Stand — the East Stand until it was renamed in 2025 — is the steep one, about 6,400 seats, built in 2010 on the old East Terrace. The roofs are a similar height, but the corners are open. From the away end you look up the pitch at the Famous Five, West Stand on your left, Pat Stanton on your right. No pillars, a decent rake, and one upper corner of your stand clipped by the road behind. The Famous Five and the Pat Stanton Stand make most of the noise.
Edinburgh Waverley is the useful station, a 20 to 25 minute walk via London Road and Easter Road. Lothian Buses from Princes Street stop on London Road at Easter Road, a few minutes from the turnstiles; the tram to Balfour Street suits the airport. Do not count on parking beside the ground. A matchday order cones the streets around Albion Place, and illegally parked cars are towed. Leave the car west of Easter Road, outside the restricted zone. Supporter coaches go to Regent Road, then a ten-minute walk: down Easter Road, right into Bothwell Street, over the footbridge towards Albion Road. Disabled badge holders can be directed to the south side of St Clair Street.
Give yourself time. Lights around Leith Street and Picardy Place regularly add a quarter of an hour. Middletons, at the top of Easter Road, is the pub most often used by visiting supporters and sits well for the away turnstiles. Other bars nearby can be home-leaning on derby days. Kiosks inside are cashless, and bags are discouraged unless you need one. Check your club’s travel notes for the latest on flags and drums.
Hibs first played here in 1893. The record gate is still 65,860, against Hearts on 2 January 1950. The pitch sloped for decades, the north end about six feet lower, until it was levelled after 1999/2000. The old north terrace was the Cowshed; the south was the Dunbar End, after a lemonade factory, and has long been the away end. You now walk into the rebuilt ground: ends from 1995, West Stand from 2001, Pat Stanton Stand from 2010. Compact, covered, and easy to read once you know which goal is yours.