Hibs boss Pat Fenlon is determined to improve results at Easter Road after watching his team produce another fine performance away from home which saw Hibs pick up their first win of the new campaign against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday. He also revealed that half time consisted of a ‘more of the same’ pep talk rather that a hairdryer approach despite the fact that the team were trailing at the break, and praised the character of the team and in particular the contribution of goalscorer Liam Craig and Rowan Vine in the victory.
Speaking to Hibernian TV, Fenlon said: “Since I’ve been at the club, the results have been good at Rugby Park, but as I’ve said to the players in the dressing room, we need to make sure our own place is a happy hunting ground for us. That’s the key to this; making sure that we improve our results at home. I thought we showed good character and we played well in patches. In the first half we’ve gone a goal down which we probably didn’t deserve, but in all fairness it was a fantastic strike, and we showed great character to win the game. It was a big three points for us.
“The players have showed great character and gone out in the second half, played well and scored two good goals. I’m delighted for them, I’m delighted for the supporters as well that have come through because it has been a tough week for everybody. When you’ve gone a goal down to a strike like that, you can come out in the second half a little bit deflated, but we came out on the front foot and got a good goal. We scored a goal early in the game that I’d like to see again, but the linesman gave it as offside. I told the team at half-time: Just keep believing and doing what you’re doing.”
“I thought Rowan’s performance was really good for us and he can drift into wide areas and put in real decent crosses, and I think probably for Liam over the last few games I’ve probably asked him to do too much and he hasn’t been at that back post enough. Against Kilmarnock, he was and it was a good finish from him. It looks an easy goal but he’s got a lot to do there and it was a fantastic header from him.
“I’m delighted for him because obviously he has a reputation of scoring goals at St Johnstone and he has come here and it probably hasn’t happened for him at the start, but he has got two today so that’s him up and running.”
Hibs face bogie team Ross County on Saturday and no-one at Easter Road need reminding that they haven’t beaten the Staggies in a competitive fixture. Fenlon is determined to end the ‘hoodoo’ although he accepts that it will be a difficult task, particularly after the highlanders emphatic 3-0 win over St Mirren in Dingwall at the weekend.
Fenlon continued: “I think we lost every game to them last year so that is something that we want to put right, but they are a good side and they have brought in some decent players as well and it should be a decent game.”
Meanwhile Scott Robertson is desperate to regain his place in the team, after he suffered a hip problem after scoring the equaliser against Dundee United.
The former Blackpool and Dundee United midfielder said: “I’ve just had a bit of slight pain in my hip. I spoke to the physios and the manager about it last Thursday. We decided the best course of action would be for me to rest over the weekend and to not aggravate it for this coming weekend. That will stop it from becoming a long term problem and hopefully it will be cleared up for this weekend. I’m feeling a lot better now and hopefully I’ll be 100% fit for this weekend.
“It was very frustrating to get injured straight after scoring – it was possibly my goal that caused the injury. The technique for the first shot was a little bit awkward and that was where I was experiencing pain with that motion when I was trying to strike the ball. Now we want to keep the momentum going – we’ve got our first point followed by our first win at the weekend, so hopefully we can use that as a springboard to get a few more wins.”
Photograph by www.jcmackintosh.co.uk
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
