THE absence of a meaningful title race in the Ladbrokes Premiership for the sixth season running means that those of us who like a soupcon of drama in their football will once again have to look elsewhere in the months ahead.

Fortunately, the battle to beat relegation, the scrap to avoid having to take part in the play-off, the fight for a money-spinning top six spot and the chase for the European places should all provide more than enough intrigue; no other league in the entire continent has as few meaningless games than our much-maligned top flight.

But it is the respective bids by Aberdeen, Hibernian and Rangers to come second behind Celtic, to finish runners-up, to be crowned the best of the rest, which promise to make for the most entertaining viewing in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign.

That much was apparent after another compelling round of Premiership matches in midweek. Rangers maintained their narrow advantage over Aberdeen on goal difference courtesy of an undeserved win over Hibs at Easter Road and stretched their lead over their opponents to six points in the process.

Strangely, though, it is Neil Lennon’s team who should take more confidence from the encounter entering the second half of the season. The Hibs manager declared that his team had battered their rivals and he was not wrong. Only their finishing let them down. If they can improve in that department there is no telling what they can achieve.

Many expected the capital club, runaway Championship winners and William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finalists last term, to do well on their return to the Premiership, when they completed the permanent signings of Efe Ambrose, Anthony Stokes and Steven Whittaker in the summer especially, and they have been proved right so far.

Hibs were by far the better side over the course of the 90 minutes on Wednesday evening and did enough to win the game comfortably. It is not the first time they have impressed against formidable adversaries. They have drawn with Celtic home and away and beaten Rangers, albeit in a hugely controversial match, away as well.

They were a late Mikael Lustig goal-line clearance away from ending the Scottish champions’ record-breaking 67 game unbeaten domestic run last Sunday.

Aberdeen, who they take on at Pittodrie in the early kick-off today, are the only top four club they have failed to take points off so far, but you would not bet against them doing so this afternoon if they can replicate the form they have showed of late.

Hibs are decent enough defensively, where Ambrose, Darren McGregor and Whittaker use their experience to good effect, absolutely outstanding in midfield, where Marvin Bartley, John McGinn and Dylan McGeouch regularly excel, and a handful out wide, where Martin Boyle has been a revelation.

But up front they must improve if they want to catch and then overtake Rangers and Aberdeen teams who would appear to possess far greater firepower .

Simon Murray may well have netted no fewer than 14 occasions since joining from Dundee United in the close season, but eight of those came against lower league opposition in the early rounds of the Betfred Cup. The enigmatic Stokes, too, has only been on target in four of the 13 Premiership matches he has been involved in.

Given that Rangers have Alfredo Morelos, whose brilliantly-taken effort just before half-time proved the difference between his side and Hibs in midweek and took his tally for the season to 10, at their disposal along with Josh Windass, who has netted six times in eight games under Graeme Murty, they would seem to have the edge.

Aberdeen have also toiled in that area. Ryan Christie, Stevie May, Kenny McLean and Adam Rooney are currently their joint top scorers with just four goals apiece in all competitions. But Derek McInnes has more players at his disposal who have shown they can score in the top flight.

A lot obviously depends on who each club brings in next month, but if Hibs can unearth a prolific scorer during the January transfer window, or Murray, Stokes or even young Oli Shaw can improve their strike rates then they are more than capable of coming second in their first season back in the Premiership.