Nectar Triantis and Josh Nisbet shared the pitch 24 times as Central Coast Mariners players and remain good pals to this day - but the Hibernian midfielder has insisted there are no friends in football on opposing sides.

David Gray's side face Nisbet's Ross County in Scottish Premiership action on Wednesday night, hoping to build on their 1-1 draw with Hearts in Sunday's Edinburgh derby. Triantis, who came back into the starting XI against Neil Critchley's side after missing the 3-2 defeat by Dundee United through suspension, is expected to continue in the Hibs midfield - and will likely go toe-to-toe with his former Mariners colleague.

"Yeah, Josh is a good friend of mine, we keep in touch here and there,' Triantis said, previewing the trip to Dingwall. 

"He spoke to me before he signed [for Ross County], not so much asking advice, just what the country's like. He's a good player, a strong player, so I expect a good battle - but obviously, there are no friends when you cross the line."

A battle in midfield, and a battle for Hibs as they look to record just their second win of the league season after coming close on numerous occasions, only to engineer their own downfall in a similar fashion week after week. 

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Triantis was disappointed not to have been on the winning side against Hearts as James Wilson took advantage of poor defending from the hosts to cancel out Mykola Kukharevych's opener, but he remains confident that Hibs' luck will turn. 

"We think we should have come out with the three points," he admitted. "In a heated derby you want to put on a good performance in front of the fans. I think we created more than enough opportunities to win the game but sometimes that's how the dice rolls and we've just got to keep going and keep looking for those three points."

Hibs haven't won at the Global Energy Stadium since October 2022, when goals from Martin Boyle and Ryan Porteous secured a 2-0 victory under Lee Johnson. But Triantis, who has experience of Dingwall from his first loan spell at Easter Road, is hopeful of helping Hibs not only to end their winless run this season but also to break their run without victory in the Highlands.

"We want to win every game. You can't go into games wanting draws or looking for one point, especially in games like the derby that mean so much to the fans and the club and us as well.

"We were looking for those three points [against Hearts] and we're disappointed not to come away with that. But, every game is just as big as the next. You can't look too far ahead but it starts with Wednesday and we're looking for a strong, good win.

"When we do our reviews of games we know that there are many positives to take but at the end of the day, football is about results and it's always at that last hurdle that it seems that we're falling short. We're trying our best to fix that and hopefully that can be corrected on Wednesday night."

Triantis has been deployed as a defensive midfielder in all of his appearances for Hibs so far in his second loan spell, after struggling at centre-back under Nick Montgomery, who had played him there for Mariners. 

But, having started out as a winger and attacking midfielder before switching positions, Triantis is relishing a run of games as a six for Hibs and has performed well alongside both Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Joe Newell. 

"It's always good getting those minutes under my belt and learning from each game but I think it's more about a team collective at the moment and not individually.

"I think I have big characteristics and attributes for a holding midfielder, I think it suits my game really well. Maybe with a different gaffer and a different style of play I could play into the centre-half of another team but for Hibernian, I think holding midfielder is good.

"It's good to have that flexibility and versatility as a footballer, especially with the modern game; everyone rotating and having that sort of understanding of two roles is a good thing to have. But I think, moving forward, I see myself more as a holding midfielder."

Gray knew Triantis from his previous loan spell and moved to bring him back to Hibs in the summer to shore up his midfield - and the Sunderland loanee is enjoying working under the assistant coach turned permanent manager.

"The gaffer has been really good to me, he was a big part of why I came back here. I do really enjoy being at Hibernian, I'm really enjoying being under him, and I think the team is as well. I don't think the results are a reflection of our time so far under the gaffer and hopefully, things can change soon."