Long serving defender Lewis Stevenson believes that Hibs ‘tight knit’ squad could make the difference in tonight’s Europa League qualifying tie against on-form Molde FK.
Games have been coming thick and fast for Hibs, including two away ties to the Faroe Islands and Greece which have allowed the players to bond more that they would normally have done.
Stevenson knows that progression to the play-off stage would be a massive achievement for the club who were European pioneers over 60 years ago, playing in the inaugural European Cup and he insists that the players go into the tie in a confident mood.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference Stevenson said: “There is a lot of confidence in the squad although we know it will be a tough task.
“We are going to have to score and be pretty solid at the back as well. Everyone is close and we are a tight knit squad so that could be the difference in coming out on top.
“I have played in European games in the past after only one or two games preparation and it doesn’t feel the same, but now we feel sharp enough and ready to go.
“Reaching the Europa League would be the ultimate achievement. We had good league success last year and had good runs in the cup as well but to do it on a European level would be the biggest of all but we are not quite there yet.
“We have a massive game tomorrow night and we could make history again. We want to progress and be successful and so far we have done pretty well.
“It’s a totally different style to what we pay in the SPL where we are used to playing the same teams four or five times a season.
“Molde will be good at home and expect to win but we showed in Greece that we can compete away from home. We were disappointed with 0-0 at home at the time but it’s not such a bad result in Europe.
“We know we have players in the team who are capable of scoring and can change the game.
“In the last couple of seasons we have been beating records here and there but tomorrow could be the biggest of them all. I didn’t realise how long it had been since we have been this far in Europe.
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.
