YOU BOTTLED IT!
Hibs star Shinnie’s crafty dig at Falkirk
HIBS midfielder Andrew Shinnie has told Falkirk they wouldn’t be facing a potential title D-Day at Easter Road today if they hadn’t ‘bottled’ last season’s Play-Off Final against Kilmarnock.
Victory this afternoon would see Neil Lennon’s Championship leaders increase the gap over their nearest rivals to ten points, with the added luxury of a game in hand over the Bairns.
And Shinnie admits there will be ‘an edge’ to the vital fixture between two clubs who clashed regularly on and off the park last season as they each battled in vain for promotion.
Before travelling to Easter Road in the league last April, the Bairns were enraged when Hibernian’s midfield enforcer Fraser Fyvie asked if Falkirk had ‘any big-game players’.
Despite finding themselves a man down, Peter Houston’s side fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 — and duly pipped Hibs into second place.
Then, after dispatching the Leith men 5-4 on aggregate over two legs of a thrilling Play-Off semi-final, Falkirk looked to have one foot in the Premiership after beating Kilmarnock 1-0 at home in the first leg of the Final.
However, the Rugby Park side stormed back to win 4-0 in the second leg and consign their opponents to a seventh successive season in the second tier.
As Hibs aim to make it third time lucky in their own promotion push, Shinnie is aiming to deliver a knockout blow to Falkirk’s slim title hopes.
But another fiery contest seems certain to be played out in the capital today after the former Inverness and Birmingham City playmaker dredged up the Bairns’ costly failure in Ayrshire last May.
‘They kind of bottled it a little bit against Kilmarnock last year,’ said Shinnie.
‘Kilmarnock had a big win on the day but, if they (Falkirk) had turned up, they would probably be in the Premiership now.
‘You do get the feeling that there’s a little edge to this game.
‘Falkirk are a tough team to play against. They’re always around the promotion spots. So it will be a difficult game, but we are ready for it.
‘It would be a big win for us if we could get it and it would also be a big blow for them.
‘They’ll look at it and think if they can beat us, then they’re maybe back in the race. We can’t let that happen.’
Hibs seem to be a more determined bunch with Lennon at the helm now instead of the man who tried to lead them back to the top flight last season, Alan Stubbs.
They have still been dropping points of late, though, performing better on their way to a Scottish Cup semi-final with Aberdeen than they have been in the league.
They still enjoy a sizeable lead at the top of the division, of course, but Falkirk defender Lewis Kidd insists there is no inferiority complex at the Westfield club.
The Championship’s highest scoring side will be heading to Edinburgh with all guns blazing as they aim to get back in the title race.
‘It’s a massive game, but we all know that and we will all be prepared for it,’ said the 22-yearold former Queen of the South defender. ‘The gap could be narrowed to four, or it could go up to ten.
‘Of course, if we lose, it would be a lot harder to catch them. But I’m not going to say it would be done and dusted.
‘We would just take each game as it comes and, if we go about our own business, then hopefully we will get the results we need.
‘But we believe we can go to Easter Road and get the result that we need. We don’t feel we are far away from Hibs — definitely not. We know our own strengths and we know we have a strong squad.
‘We don’t change our tactics for any team. We like to pass the ball and create chances and I don’t see us doing anything differently this weekend.’
Falkirk can also take confidence from their fine record at Easter Road. The Bairns have not lost in Leith since 2009, while Peter Houston is unbeaten in seven visits as Falkirk boss.
They have also only lost once away from home in the league since October.
‘We’ve been better away from home in our recent run of form,’ said Kidd. ‘I don’t know why that is, exactly, but we have been.
‘We’ve not really been up to the standards the team set at home last season. We’ve dropped a few points in games where we shouldn’t have dropped points, otherwise we would be even closer to Hibs.
‘Last weekend, results all went for us earlier in the day, but we missed the chance to gain more ground (by losing 1-0 at home to fellow promotion chasers Morton).
‘It wasn’t to be and it was a disappointed dressing room afterwards.
‘So, while it will be difficult at Easter Road, maybe being away from home will help us in that respect this weekend.
‘It will be a big atmosphere at Easter Road but we feel that we can get a result.
‘We’ve just got to keep going and trying to catch them. We need to focus on ourselves, but I don’t see why we can’t catch teams and move away from other teams below us.’