We asked football coach and tactics expert Craig Nisbet to cast his expert eye over Hibs' 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock last weekend and tell us via words and video what Nick Montgomery's first game suggests for the weeks, months and years ahead of his tenure at Easter Road.

Nick Montgomery’s first game as Hibs head coach saw the introduction of some very positive patterns of play with a real intensity to pressing and counter-attacking. Ultimately though, his team were denied the win by a lapse in concentration, poor positioning and an age-old Hibs nemesis - crosses into the box.

How Hibs set up under Montgomery

With Hibs lining up in a traditional 4-4-2 formation, Christian Doidge and Dylan Vente allowed the Kilmarnock centre-backs on the ball, dropping deeper to stop passes going into Brad Lyons in the middle of the park and trying to force the ball wide. Martin Boyle and Élie Youan would press aggressively to try and win the ball or force it back, supported by Lewis Miller and Lewis Stevenson, who stayed tight to the Kilmarnock wingers, again trying to force them wide and stop the ball going inside the pitch, where the Derek McInnes' side had an overload.

Joe Newell and Jimmy Jeggo had a gruelling role in the middle, trying to cover the Killie wingers out of possession while also creating and supporting attacks in the event of a turnover.

Attacking with purpose

The first half was some of the best, most composed football Hibs have played all season. Patience was shown on the ball and it felt like every attack had a purpose. In the past, the team have got to the final third and looked lost, but in this game we got crosses, cutbacks and shots away in good time - all leading to a a bundle of created chances.

When pressing, Kilmarnock allowed Rocky Bushiri to be in possession, anticipating that he would struggle to play forward and be their best bet for a turnover. You could see Newell imploring Bushiri to step forward to commit a Kilmarnock player. When he did, Hibs were successful through different passing combinations, getting the ball into one of the front four who were very fluid throughout the game. Boyle and Youan would often drift inside with Doidge and Vente doing a solid job dropping deep to link the play between the midfield and attack.

Playing out from the back - and creating chances on the counter

The most exciting change in how Montgomery's XI approached the game was the way they looked to play out from the back. Bushiri and Will Fish sat on the edge of the six-yard box with Stevenson and Miller wide, just above the edges of the penalty area. Newell and Jeggo positioned themselves just outside the edge of the box.

This attracted five Kilmarnock players in Hibs' defensive third, with Boyle, Youan, Doidge and Vente pinning their back four. After exchanging passes with Bushiri, David Marshall clips the ball to Doidge who drops deeper into the Hibs half, pinning Killie defender Robbie Deas, and playing the ball into the advancing Miller.

Miller drives up the right wing and cuts the ball back to Jeggo, who finds himself in the unusual position of the opposition penalty box. This is certainly something we haven’t seen before and perhaps a demand Montgomery is placing on his midfield pair.

Same problems but cause for optimism?

After going 2-0 down, Killie struck back quickly. Bushiri initially does well tracking Kyle Vassell down the touchline, but as Stevenson and Newell arrive to support, he stays out and doesn’t tuck back in, leaving a huge space which Lyons exposes, forcing Marshall into a good save, with Vassell on hand to slam home the rebound.

Maybe this is a touch critical, but between Fish and Jeggo, one of them should have noticed and stepped out into the vacated space. The equaliser comes from a set piece; Miller caught on his heels and Joe Wright glancing it home. Adam Le Fondre was a little flat-footed when trying to attack the edge of the six-yard box and overall, it was a poor goal to lose.

Considering the limited time Montgomery has had with the players, this was a solid performance. Some patterns of play were clearly coming to fruition, a well-worked set piece routine was a significant plus point and a real intensity was evident in the attacking play.

The goals against will be an obvious frustration, notably Kilmarnock's second. It will be no surprise to the new manager that defensively there is still a lot of work to do with this side.

Montgomery’s biggest challenge will be trying to play this 4-4-2 while utilising the squad. There is depth in most areas but some options lack the required quality. The biggest worry is in the wide areas. Boyle and Youan will be so important, and there's a question mark over having sufficient cover for them. However, Montgomery has shown he can galvanise players who have lost their way and hopefully, he can do that with the likes of Josh Campbell, Jair Tavares, and a fit Jake Doyle-Hayes.

Overall, it's a positive start, and a great platform on which to build ahead of this weekend's home game against St Johnstone.