JOE NEWELL has joked that he can finally walk the streets of Edinburgh without trepidation due to Hibernian’s upturn in fortunes and his own personal resurgence.

The Easter Road side welcome Kilmarnock to the capital this afternoon seeking to build on their run of three successive wins, two of which have been achieved during the impressive start to Jack Ross’ tenure.

All of a sudden, the five Premiership draws on the bounce which precipitated Paul Heckingbottom’s dismissal are now part of an eight-match unbeaten streak and optimism abounds. The only side enjoying a lengthier spell without a league defeat is Rangers.

While Christian Doidge – five goals in his last three outings – is the poster-boy for the turnaround in Leith, Newell has been quietly proving his own doubters wrong by turning in a series of fine displays on the left-side of an exceedingly effective midfield diamond.

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“I feel good and I feel settled. It helps when you are playing well and getting a run in the team,” smiled the 26-year-old. “I’m not afraid to walk to the shops now . . . that’s been good!

“There’s a feel-good factor now. A few of the lads, Scotty [Allan] and Porto [Ryan Porteous], have told me that when Hibs are doing well the city is bouncing, the club is bouncing, and there is no better place to be.

“Everything has just been a lot better in the last couple of weeks. The winning feeling is back and it’s brilliant to look at the table and see that we’re back in the top six.

“There is the chance to kick on again, especially when we are in this form and there are a few games coming up in quick succession.”

Positivity emanating from every pore, it is quite a contrast to Newell’s first weeks in Scottish football. Despite snapping him up from Rotherham amid a fair amount of fanfare, Heckingbottom did not appear to place much faith in his signing. He started just seven matches under the now-departed head coach and scarcely made an impact in those.

It did not take the court of public opinion long to rule on Newell. Just like fellow summer signing Doidge, he was written off as a high-profile failure in the transfer market.

However, he is adamant he never doubted his decision to move north.

“It was a difficult time, it wasn’t good,” he acknowledged. “But it is part and parcel of football and you try not to take too much notice of it if you can. You need to stay self-confident, keep believing in yourself and keep believing in the team. You need to train well, remain professional and know that things will turn around.

“I never regretted my decision [to join Hibs]. Even when I was not playing, I was still enjoying it at Hibs. It’s a great place to be. I never once thought that I wanted to leave.

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“I was able to lean on my girlfriend, she has moved up here with me and I’ve got friends and family who will come up to visit. Plus, the lads here are all great. It’s a close group and we all do things together.

“So I honestly never got that worried and started to think: ‘Oh no it’s the end of the world’. I know my own ability and I know how good this team is. It was just a case of when the tide would turn, rather than if it would turn.”

Now safely ensconced in the top six and just seven points adrift of Aberdeen, who are “best of the rest”, the assertion of Eddie May during his short stint as caretaker that Hibs should still have an eye on third does not seem so fanciful.

“Eddie was right and I think everyone here knows that the club should be up there,” adds Newell. “It was not something that he just said for the sake of it. We all believed him and knew that this rise up the table would come eventually. Thankfully it is happening now, and we just need to keep the momentum up.”