Hibs’ boss Terry Butcher had dedicated Saturday’s 2-0 win over Ross County to David Paul who sied in his sleep at his home last weekend.
Speaking to Hibernian TV, Butcher said: “It’s been a really tough week and before the game we wanted to win for David and his family.
“We wanted to pay tribute to him the right way; the boys were fired up for the game and very focused on what they had to do.
“We even had a set-back in the morning when the bus broke down at Broxden Services and we had to get a replacement bus up from Edinburgh.
“In the hour-and-a-half we had to wait, the players ate bacon butties and sausage sandwiches and drank a lot of tea, coffee and juice. Obviously that’s not how we would normally prepare on the morning of a match.
“I told the players: It’s all about rising above challenges and the hurdles that are put in front of you.
“We’ve had a really tough week – probably the toughest that a lot of the players have ever had.
“We’ve managed to come out of it with a really strong performance, some good goals, another clean sheet – that’s four out of six – and a win for David and his family.
“It has been a good end to what was a really trying and testing week.
“There is a fantastic spirit amongst the squad and it’s getting better game-by-game. We want that to continue improving because we’ve got two exciting matches to look forward to finish off the festive period.”
Butcher also urged Hibs’ fans to turn up at Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match against Kilmarnock at Easter Road because the team will give everything to win.
He added: “Just keep backing the boys; we are continuing to make progress and the win at Ross County was another significant step forward.
“The players are all working their socks off and are playing for the jersey plus our confidence is getting higher.
“Please keep backing us because we are trying to deliver goals and winning performances.”
Photo by John Preece
http://www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography
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.
