FOXING DAY
McGinn hopes vixen can sort Easter Road pitch
PAUL McGINN is hoping the Easter Road fox in the box can help Jack Ross’ side tame the Lions.
But while top scorer Kevin Nisbet will have a big say as Hibs look to recover from their shock defeat by Ross County, it’s Vicki the Vixen that McGinn is hoping has already worked some magic.
The four- legged friend, named by Easter Road staff after an appearance in November, has been a regular visitor since that Betfred Cup victory over Dundee.
Now McGinn is hoping she can help smooth things over after a bumpy few weeks in which eight points have been dropped from 12 on offer.
He said: “Wednesday wasn’t very good at all. The pitch is a bit of a mess and we were having to take an extra touch, which made it all too slow. There’s the first excuse!
“It’s just one of those things. Even when performances have been a bit flat this season, we have managed to come up with something.
“It’s just really frustrating. I can imagine Saturday will be the same.
“I don’t know what can be done about the pitch in the two days but maybe that fox that’s cutting about can roll it!
“Hopefully it will be in better nick against Livi.
“We have to take the frustration and anger from how poor we played against County and use it in a positive way.
“Livi have hit a bit of form and managed to get their game off on Wednesday so they’ll be fresh. We know it will be 100 mmiles an hour so we have to chachannel that anger.” Hibs blew the chance to go into the new year in third spot with the 2-0 reverse to County. But RossRoss’ side are 11 points better off thanth they were at the same stage 12 months ago – and with a Betfred Cup semifinalfinal agaiagainst St Johnstone three weweeks away. McG McGinn said: “It’s been a positivepo year all in. It’s just jus frustrating there have ha been games where w we could have got go even more points on the board. “Last Saturday at
Ibrox, Celtic getting a penalty here, wee niggles that mean it could have been even better.
“But we can’t moan. It’s a good points total and if we repeat that in the second half of the season I’m sure we will be sitting pretty.
“You have to keep improving and I’m sure the management will be working this month to try to make us better again.”
Ross is hopeful of having a trio of first-team stars back against the league’s in-form side, with keeper Ofir Marciano, Stevie Mallan and Jamie Murphy all expected to play.
The boss said: “Our reaction to any disappointments this season has been good. We’ll look at how the players react.
“Some have had a tough schedule so hopefully we have more options within the squad because we’ve been a bit stretched. We’ll hopefully have Stevie, Jamie and Ofir involved and that helps a little bit.
“The hardest part is always the final third but Stevie and Jamie can make something out of nothing.
“Our players in that area weren’t quite at it against Ross County and then you look at what other options you have in the squad.”