A goal for baby Ralphie would be nice. Even if the little fella, not yet four months old, wouldn’t quite understand the significance of the moment.

If and when the moment of glorious redemption does come for Joe Newell, he can at least be certain that there will be thousands upon thousands who know exactly what it means to the Hibs captain. There isn’t an Easter Road regular who wouldn’t delight in seeing the midfielder complete his injury recovery in stunning style.

Because there have been days when Newell wondered if the pain would ever end. Long, bleak stretches of existing on the fringes of football, his road to recovery pitted with set-backs and unexpected delays.

He missed out on so much, from the thrill of last season’s spectacular turnaround in fortunes to the uproarious European adventure at the start of the current campaign. He travelled to all three away ties – including making the journey to Warsaw in the company of a small army of Hibs supporters – in the role of, as he describes it himself, cheerleader in chief. But it could never be the same as playing.

Between limping out of action in a 1-0 home win over Kilmarnock on December 29, 2024, and returning as a late substitute in a 2-1 home loss to Celtic on November 30 last year, the Englishman has certainly been through the mill. The original groin/abdomen problem that should have been cleared up in six months, tops, required repeat surgery and seemingly endless sessions in rehab.

When wife Hannah gave birth to their first child, a baby boy, back in October, it came as a welcome distraction. And provided him with an extra well-wisher at home games.

“He couldn’t leave the house for a while – but I think his first game was actually the first squad I was back involved with,” said Newell, the 32-year-old adding: “So yeah, he’s been to every one so far. My missus loves it. She loves coming to games, so he’s got no choice at the minute! He’s on the little carrier in front of her. It has been amazing for us both

“He’s doing great. We’ve been very lucky. He’s not causing many problems yet. He’s feeding well, sleeping well and all that.

“That was an unbelievable moment for me and my wife. Distraction is probably a good word. Just trying to take my mind away from the pressures of the injury and stuff like that. It’s been amazing.”

Laughing as he admitted that retirement might come before the lad is old enough to appreciate a goal-scoring moment from his dad, Newell revealed that there’s been a bit of early territorial scrapping over Ralphie’s international allegiance, explaining: “He’s got a Hib kit. He’s got a Birmingham City kit. He’s even got, in fact, and my mates from back home were surprised, but he’s got a Scottish kit – and not an England kit yet.

“He had his Scotland kit on for the game when they got to the World Cup We got it as a gift, so we thought we’d put him in that for the game and stuff. He was born here, in Edinburgh. He is a Scot.”

A first significant injury of his career was always going to hit Newell hard. The fact that he appeared on the brink of a comeback more than once, only for some fresh problem to arise, made the entire experience – almost a full year away from the best part of a world he’s been part of since childhood – incredibly frustrating.

The former Peterborough and Rotherham player, who has been a Hibee since the summer of 2019, said: “It would have been much better if I got told: ‘You’re out for 11, 12 months.’ But it was just because it was a constant breakdown and it was always another problem. It was harder to deal with, I think.

“Definitely, yeah, it was mainly a mental thing. You’re going through the pain. So physically, it’s tough. And even before I came out, I was playing through a lot of pain, and that was tough. Physically, you’re trying to get yourself right.

“I kept breaking down and thinking: ‘What is going on? Is this just me?’ And then you’ve got the pessimistic side of your brain that thinks: ‘Will you ever get over it?’

“But again, even that touches into the mental state. It’s just the isolation, the loneliness that you feel when you’re injured. Through no fault of anyone’s, it is really hard. It’s definitely, I think if you ask anyone, the toughest part of being a footballer.”

Asked if he ever seriously wondered whether he might play again, Newell stressed: “No, I think I was fortunate because of my contract. But if things were different, say if I was going to the last year of my contract, that’s when things can get really stressful, I imagine, for players. I always thought, I’ve got enough time.

“You always know you will eventually get better. I was never told: ‘You’re in serious trouble.’

“But the fact I kept breaking down and I’d have to have a week out, I started setting little goals: ‘Right, I’ll be back for this time, back for pre-season, end of pre-season, I’ll be back for September.’ It was just constant like that. And that was it. It was really hard.

“And then coincide that with missing out on so many big moments and such an amazing time that the team had, you’re also missing out on such a good time. So, it was really tough.”

Revealing his own most unique experience of a European adventure that saw him involved in a non-playing role, Newell explained: “I actually was in Warsaw, having had a check-up or something in London. So, I flew from London.

“But when I got to Heathrow, it was full of Hibs fans on the same flight. And even that, it was great just having a chat with them all – and I think that was obviously a surprise as me, seeing me down there and me seeing them flying from there.

“But that just meant just seeing the atmosphere and building up and everything. That was a tough one. I was a cheerleader for 12 months. Just trying to be as positive as I can.”

Being club captain helped, Newell insists, because he stayed involved. Attended every meeting. Spoke up during analysis sessions. Even took young Nectar Triantis under his wing by providing advice on positioning as a central midfielder.

“It was a massive blessing for me,” he admitted, adding: “The team is everything to me, just being part of the team.

“I think my biggest takeaway, my biggest kind of learning, was I probably didn’t pay enough attention to injured boys throughout my career. Not because you’re a bad guy, but just because you don’t really think, as we all do, you don’t think about other people as much as you should. I think that’s my biggest lesson.

“I’ll definitely do that throughout the rest of my life. It gives me another perspective.

“Whenever boys are out, short, medium, long term, I’ll definitely be checking in on them and just making sure they’re alright and making them still feel a part of it.

“It’s as simple as a text on the night: ‘How was today, mate?’ Go and have your lunch with them, sit with them and say: ‘What’s the plan this week? How are you feeling?’ Just little things like that. That was my takeaway.”

Back among the land of the fully fit, taking part in every training session and making a contribution on game day, Newell says the ambition for Hibs hasn’t changed despite recent events, saying: “European football was always the target. The Cup was just a major disappointment for us, so that was something that we really wanted before, but that’s done now.

“There’s nothing that can change that, so our full focus is on the league and trying to finish in the European spots. We’re always very focused, which I think is a good way of thinking in terms of just the next game.”

Rangers today represents an obviously daunting immediate challenge. Beyond that, well, it’s obvious that Hibs will be measured against the achievements of their city rivals.

Asked outright if it was more painful to be sitting in the main stand watching Hibs struggle for consistency this season, simply because Hearts have been flying, a smiling Newell said: “Well, what do you want me to say to that? Extremely painful. Extremely painful.

“They’re obviously doing really well, so it’s exciting, I’m sure, for everyone in the country. I’m sure a lot of people are wanting to go all the way, other than us. That’s all I can say.”