McGinn flattered by O’Donnell tip for Scotland call
Ross defends Hibs owner
HIBERNIAN head coach Jack Ross believes club owner Ron Gordon’s comments regarding a potential Covid-19 points penalty were taken out of context after he came in for criticism from Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes.
US-based businessman Gordon said last week that he would not object to that punishment being applied to clubs whose players breached health and safety protocol.
Celtic’s Boli Bolingoli and eight Aberdeen players have already fallen foul of the rules and face being handed Scottish FA suspensions.
Lennon branded Gordon’s comments as “absolute nonsense” while McInnes talked of “hypocritical people” within the Scottish game.
But Ross said: “I don’t think he actually said exactly what people said he said; that was a nice introduction [to Scottish football] for him.
“When you strip it back, he wasn’t quite as forthright as he was made out to be.”
HIBERNIAN defender Paul McGinn admits he is encouraged by Stephen O’Donnell’s endorsement regarding a future maiden Scotland call-up, after previously brushing off brother John’s backing as nepotism.
McGinn and current Scotland right-back O’Donnell were on opposite sides in last weekend’s goal-less clash with Motherwell, the latter going on to say after the match that national-team manager Steve Clarke should be keeping an eye on the 29-year-old.
Scotland and Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn has constantly made it known to his elder sibling that he is capable of playing on the international stage.
Former St Mirren, Dundee and Partick Thistle full-back Paul, who moved to Easter Road in January, is the first to acknowledge that playing at a club of Hibs’ stature is likely to bolster his national-team aspirations, not to mention his competent displays for a team that has accumulated 10 points from the first 12 on offer.
“That’s very nice, I thought he was excellent as well,” said
McGinn when informed of O’Donnell’s comments
“John is always on saying ‘you can’t be far away now’. He’s seems to think I should be there or thereabouts so that’s nice. I don’t think he would keep hammering it if he didn’t think so.
“I try not to read too much into it since he’s biased as well. I’ll just keep playing well; because I’m at Hibs now there is a lot more eyes on you and your chances increase, don’t they? It’s just one of those things. First and foremost, if I play well then I’m sure Steve Clarke will be watching.”
Meanwhile, Liam Gordon is determined to put Thursday’s defeat to Aberdeen behind him when St Johnstone take on Hibs tomorrow. The Saints defender had a relatively untested evening as part of a back three for Callum Davidson’s team against the Dons, but he was bitterly disappointed not to not take anything from the 90 minutes.
Ryan Hedges’ late strike deflected in off Gordon to ensure Derek McInnes’ team walked away from Perth with three points in the bag.
The defeat for the Perth outfit was in stark contrast to a late snatch-and-grab victory over Kilmarnock last weekend, but Gordon is confident he and his team-mates can recover with a positive performance against in-form Hibs.
Speaking after the loss to Aberdeen, he said: “I thought we were the stronger team, especially the first half. I thought we kept control of the ball really well.
“When we got into the final third we needed to be a bit better, more clinical. There are a lot of positives to take but losing that game was a bitter pill to swallow.
“We’ve got a big game to focus on this Sunday.
“There are a lot of teams in the league with good attacking options – Hibs are definitely one of them.
“We played them in preseason and we know what they’re about. Hopefully we handle them well and help the team get a good result.”
John always says ‘you can’t be far away now’