Sibbick assures Hearts fans he can fill Halkett void in defence
Englishman vows to work hard as Gorgie side look to catch Rangers
TOBY SIBBICK admits he is determined to prove he can help Hearts shrug off their latest defensive setback. After the high of Monday’s 3- 0 victory over capital rivals Hibernian, the Tynecastle club suffered the bitter blow of the news that Craig Halkett would be out for the remainder of the campaign due to a cruciate knee ligament injury.
With Stephen Kingsley currently also sidelined, manager Robbie Neilson has confessed another centrehalf is on his January shopping list.
But Sibbick, who produced a stunning last- ditch tackle to deny Elie Youan at a crucial point in the Edinburgh derby, hopes he has done enough to show he can be relied upon to help Hearts as they eye a challenge to Rangers in second.
He said: “I think with any player when you get a run of games it gives you that confidence, that match sharpness.
“It’s hard when you come in for one game and then you’re out for two and then you’re back in, because you don’t really get that match fitness or match sharpness so maybe you’re a bit off the pace.
“Now that I’m starting to play a run of games I’m feeling more sharp, I’m making better decisions, so I just need to keep going that way.
“When you play for a big club there is obviously always going to be competition for places. I have the shirt now and, whoever comes in, they are going to have to try to get it off me. But I will keep working hard in training and in games to prove why I should keep it.
“There will be key moments in games. I just need to keep training hard and keep playing hard and then it is up to the gaffer. We have a good squad and the level of competition for places is huge so I have to work hard and try to keep my place.
“You never want to see your colleagues injured, whether here or in another team. It is not a nice feeling and you wouldn’t wish that on anyone. We have full faith in the staff to get Craig back and we will all be supporting him and fully behind him hoping that he can get back as quickly as possible.”
Hearts travel to face St Mirren in third place and with a five- point advantage over Aberdeen one spot below. The derby victory over Hibs has boosted confidence still further after an impressive spell.
With three wins and a draw since returning from the World Cup break, it has been a fruitful festive period for the Gorgie side, but Sibbick is fully aware they cannot afford to take their foot off the gas as they look upwards to Rangers a massive 15 points ahead in second.
Sibbick added: “The Hibs win was
great, the atmosphere was great. It was an amazing feeling for us, but now our full focus is on the next game.
“It’s always nice to beat them, and the manner that we did it as well – 3- 0, clean sheet, first game of the new year - I don’t think it gets much better than that. But now the full focus is on St Mirren.
“It’s not necessarily difficult to refocus. It is part of the job, games come thick and fast. It’s another big game against St Mirren because if we can win there then we can start to build up a bit of a gap between us and fourth place.
“If you just worry about yourself, everything else will take care of itself. That is all we worry about. We don’t worry about other teams, just ourselves. I know that we have a squad that is more than capable of finishing third – and even catching Rangers. That is what our aim is.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Robinson hopes three more St Mirren players follow Greg Kiltie in signing a new
deal with the Paisley club.
Midfielder Kiltie last week agreed a two- year contract extension which ties him to Paisley until June 2025.
Back- up goalkeeper Peter Urminsky also signed a one- year extension to his current deal which keeps him at the club until the summer of 2024.
St Mirren have a number of players, including Curtis Main, Marcus Fraser, Richard Tait, Joe Shaughnessy, Charles Dunne and Ryan Flynn, who are out of contract at the end of the current campaign.
Robinson said: “I have made contract offers to current players in the team.
“We can’t afford to bring players in at this moment in time, but we can certainly commit to next season, keeping the players that we want here.
“We have made offers to four players. Kiltie has signed and we are very close to another two and that gives us a real base to build on, so you are maybe only signing four players instead of the wholesale changes of 10 or 11 players which happens at clubs.
“We are trying to put a bit of stability in the football club, retain players we want and add four or five. Of course we are speaking to players about pre- contracts already and try to be ahead of the game.”
We have full faith in the staff to get Craig back and we will all be supporting him and fully behind him