MARTIN Boyle feared the worst when he was summoned to his manager’s office recently. Neil Lennon, after all, isn’t shy when it comes to dispensing a few home truths to his players.

But rather than being pulled up for some misdemeanour or other, all Boyle was getting thrown in his direction was a new contract offer, to keep him at the club until the summer of 2021. This was quite a gesture, considering the ink was still drying on his previous arrangement, which still had two years to run.

It was further indication of the 24-year-old Aberdonian’s emergence as one of the top players in the Ladbrokes Premiership this season, something the player will be hoping to demonstrate again tomorrow night as Hibs, fresh from a breathless 2-2 draw against Celtic, play host Rangers.

“I was very surprised,” said Boyle. “I thought I’d got myself into a little bit of bother, all the lads were saying ‘oh, oh’.

“It’s a scary thing to be called into his office,” he added. “I was going in trying to think what I’d done over the previous few weeks, but he sat me down, said he was happy and I was committed right away. I think he scared me into signing!”

“No, I have never been in this position before in my life, usually it’s been from season to season. It’s overwhelming I want to give my all for this club and see where it goes.”

Some players and some managers just seem to click, and that appears to be the case with Lennon and Boyle – even if the club hope to add to their complement of wingers by picking up Niall McGinn as a free agent at the earliest available opportunity.

“I’ve still got a lot to prove but he [Lennon] has been brilliant to me,” said Boyle. “He’s one man you don’t want to let down, he has that fear factor in him, but no, I don’t know what it is, he has come in and shown real belief in me.

“He’s told me to take the ball down the line, and if I lose it 100 times, to go again,” he added. “He has brought more to my game, although I have still a bit more to learn and need to bulk up a bit more. But it’s very pleasing at the moment and I hope it carries on.”

If John McGinn versus Scott Brown was one of Scottish football’s popcorn match-ups – regardless of what Brendan Rodgers said after the match – Neil Lennon versus Rangers is certainly another. Headlines are never usually far away when these two collide and more can be expected tomorrow night in a match which will crystallise both side’s designs on finishing best of the rest this season. Lennon for one is adamant that Hibs can finish there this campaign, and there was little on Sunday against Celtic which makes that seem like an outlandish notion.

“Not much happened the last time!” joked Boyle, referring to a 3-2 win for Hibs at Ibrox back in August, which saw Lennon anger the home fans with his goal celebrations. “He’s a fiery character and it brings the best out of him, he loves games like this.

“He still stands by that [Hibs can finish second], he has been there and done it with Celtic and he wants to be challenging again,” said Boyle. “We have a good squad and while we perhaps can’t challenge for the title second place is different. Come through these three games [Celtic, Rangers then Aberdeen] unscathed and we have a chance of doing it.”

On the assumption that Celtic go through the gears from now on, the battle for second promises to go the distance.

“There will be a lot of points dropped and gained, it will be scrappy. We just need to make sure we have our name in the mix,” Boyle added.