Martin Boyle admits hitting the 100 Hibs goals landmark seemed miles off just a few months ago. But then so did third place for David Gray ’s side. The Easter Road men were sitting last in the table with one win from their first 14 league matches at the end of November. The boss was under serious pressure and his talismanic frontman Boyle was in the firing line too as he struggled with a wrist injury and netted just two goals in those 14 matches. But whatever rocket fuel was found lying around Leith back then it’s propelled not just speed merchant Boyle but Hibs right up the table on the back of an unstoppable 16-game unbeaten run. Saturday’s brilliant 2-0 win at Ibrox, Hibs ’ first there since February 2018, kept their noses ahead of Aberdeen in third spot. Boyle’s strike for the second goal took him onto 11 league goals and 16 across all competitions for the season. It also moved him just five short of reaching the Century in his 11th season with the club. And Boyle insists he now firmly has his eye on joining the Easter Road 100 club before the end of the season. He said: “It would be brilliant. It's probably one of those milestones that don't happen often, and I'd be absolutely delighted. I should probably already be there with the chances I have had! That's football, but as long as I'm contributing on the pitch. “I don't normally set myself targets but this one's quite a milestone to achieve. It seemed like it was miles away at the start of the season, but there's loads of games to go. “So hopefully I can keep getting those opportunities and scoring goals, and fingers crossed. As long as I keep winning games, I'll be happy either way.” Winning games certainly hasn’t been a problem since Boyle assumed added responsibilities as skipper in the absence of injured Joe Newell. Hibs have won 11 and drawn five in that 16 match run to remain a point ahead of Aberdeen with one game - at home to Dundee next week - before the split. It’s been an incredible turnaround. It’s no wonder Boyle admits his side fear nobody right now. They headed to Ibrox with chests puffed out and knowing an early goal would ruffle Rangers . And that’s exactly how it panned out after Dylan Levitt’s eighth minute strike. Boyle said: “We knew we could kind of rattle them at the start and the fans would get a bit restless and get on their backs and maybe it showed. “They were a bit nervous at times, but it's still a difficult game, we kept going and we limited their chances. They had a few with the big man they had up front. But Rocky (Bushiri), Jack (Iredale), absolutely fantastic. We get the confidence from that, so we can get on the front foot and attack. “Confidence is a wonderful thing, we didn't have that at the start of the season. Now we do, the run we are on, it's terrific, but we need to maintain the levels. Everyone's working together, and you can see that on the pitch, and we're getting the points that we deserve. “We struggled at the start of the season . We know it wasn't acceptable for the club, the position that we were in. Fair play to the manager, he's not changed much, we just had to keep believing in what he was doing. We did and we came out the other side. We want it to continue.” Boyle took the form that has seen him net four in his last five games for Hibs onto the international stage last month too as he scored for Australia in the 5-1 World Cup qualifying rout of Indonesia. The 31-year-old admits he’s in a good place. And for that he is grateful to his old team mate Gray for not just keeping faith but also handing him the armband in Newell’s absence. Boyle said: “I’m delighted, it was a tough start to the season, the fractured wrist and the surgeries and being out of the team, it wasn't a nice place. “I knew I had to work on and off the pitch, catch the manager's eye, and obviously the new leadership role that I've taken up, it's been perfect. I always joked that if I got the armband, there would be an extra 10 per cent out of me! “I feel like I've been obviously stepping up with Joe's injuries and the boys seem to be responding well. "I shout when I need to, I don't want people to take me serious! I'll still be my same old self, but obviously I'm going to cross that line and I like to lead by example by showing bravery on the ball, setting that pressure from the front. “It’s just a great place to be in at the moment. Everyone around the club's buzzing, we're all happy in a good place. The bond that we have is perfect, and I've not seen it for a long time, probably the Covid season when we finished third.” Despite the early season problems Boyle insists he never lost faith. And he reckons Hibs now are a proper reflection of their manager. He said: “We had to believe, we knew the players that we had and the strength and depth that we've got. The shape's been good, obviously tweaks now and again, and every man that's coming off the bench, or starting at the beginning, we're all chipping in, and we're working hard for each other. “Obviously the manager’s been at the club a long time, he's hard working, that's all he wants. “As long as we're hard working every week, and obviously doing what he wants to do in training, we're defensively set up, and we get after teams, then it's perfect.”