Ross calls on Hibs to focus energy on repaying supporters with success
JACK ROSS has warned his Hibs side they still have “a bit to do” to ensure they turn a good campaign into a historic one.
The Easter Road side made it third time lucky in semi-finals this season when they eased aside Dundee United with a 2-0 victory at the weekend.
After a double dose of Hampden heartache in the past six months, it was a moment to savour for the capital men, whose mentality had been questioned ahead of a massive 90 minutes.
They have no time to savour Saturday’s success, however, with tomorrow night’s trip to face Aberdeen now crucial in their bid to hang on to third spot in the Premiership.
Ross is fully aware that finishing third for the first time in 16 years and winning the cup would land him and his players a special place in Hibs history.
And he is desperate for them to seize the opportunities now on offer and reward the club’s loyal fans.
He said: “I have been so aware of my responsibilities as a manager. I have the privilege of managing the club and we’ve so badly missed the supporters this season.
“But having a successful season is our way of giving them something back.
“We’ve still got a bit to do to make it really successful.
“But I hope the fans who watched the game on Saturday took massive pleasure from it.
“And there’s huge ambition for us to go back in two weeks’
time and give them something really special and make ourselves part of the folklore of the club.
“It’s about trying to pay back that loyalty and giving them something to cheer about.”
After those defeats to Hearts in last season’s delayed Scottish Cup semi in October and to their May 22 opponents St Johnstone at the penultimate stage of the Betfred Cup, doubts hung over Hibs’ ability to cope with the big occasion.
Ross admits he accepts his team had answers to provide and he is thrilled they did just that.
He added:
“I understand
why people question that, but you only get questioned about it if you continually get to this stage.
“When you’ve had that soreness you’ve got two choices - you can not want to get back there and have the risk, or you can push to be there and run that risk and come out with the feeling we’ve got.
“I had a good feeling about the players all week and my last message to them was about how much I trust them and about having that trust in themselves and each other.
“And I think they produced a performance that was reflective of that.”