Hibs got off to a good start to the season, winning 2–1 against Celtic on the opening day, with Chic Charnley scoring a memorable winning goal.[3] The season "rapidly turned into a nightmare", however.[3] With the club four points adrift at the bottom of the league, manager Jim Duffy was sacked after a 6–2 defeat by Motherwell.[4]Alex McLeish was hired as Duffy's replacement, but he was unable to save the club from relegation to the First Division.[3]
During the 1997–98 season, Hibs used 32 different players in competitive games. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[5]