Paul Hanlon believes that his lay-off through injury could prove beneficial for himself and the team in the run in to the end of the season.
The dependable defender picked up an injury and was forced to watch from the stand as his team mates struggled to pick up points against teams they were expected to beat and this has resulted in Rangers winning the Championship much earlier than many thought they would.
The run coupled with postponements due to international fixtures meant that Falkirk have overtaken Hibs in the table and now sit three points ahead although Hibs do have two games in hand.
The pair meet next Tuesday in a fixture which could go a long way in establishing who finishes in second place.
Speaking to Hibs TV, he said: “ I’m really looking forward to the Alloa game and obviously we have a bit of confidence back after the win against Livingston in midweek.
“We went too long without winning a game so it was good to get back to winning ways and it was a great way to do it with Martin’s goal.
“Alloa’s relegation might mean that they are able to play with a bit more freedom than they did before but that could work in our favour as well if they come out and try and play a bit. there could be spaces for us to exploit and I’m sure that the manager and coaching staff are working on that.
“It was hard being injured. I’m not one that enjoys having to watch games, I need to be involved as much as I can. I worked really hard with the physios and feel as I have come back stronger for the rest of the season.
“The international break gave me some more time to get ready and I knew that if I did well in training the manager might put me back into the squad. Fonts (Liam Fontaine) picked up an injury which may have helped me get straight back into the team. It’s now up to me to play well and keep my place.
“It’s gonna be tough, but it’s what we want to be involved in and you want to play in as many games as you can and as many big games as you can. From now until they are all going to be big games.
“Maybe in the long run the few weeks that I had out might work in my favour and I feel fresh going in towards the end of the season. We’ve got players coming back that will make a big difference for us as well.”
Photo by John Preece
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.
