Scotland’s success will be used as spur by Ross

Jack Ross insists Scotland’s stunning Euro 2020 qualification can help Hibs, because at least three of his players will be desperate to be involved in next summer’s tournament.

Defenders Ryan Porteous, Paul Hanlon and Paul McG inn were in last month ’s squad but overlooked for the get together as the national team beat Serbia in Thursday’s play-off final.

Porteous is back with the Scotland Under-21s and Ross is in no doubt the trio will be keen to ensure they are in Steve Clarke’ s thoughts at the end of the season.

Ross, whose side play Dundee in tomorrow ’s Betfred Cup Group B top of the table clash, said: “It’s something they will use themselves.

“They’ve had a taste and what they mustn’t do now is believe it is not a possibility,” he said.

“If I was trying to encourage a player who had never been near Steve’s squad to use that as a carrot I don’t think you’d get the buy-in.

“But the good thing with the two Pauls and Ryan is

the y have been there. Undoubtedly Steve’s group has made up the bulk of what the squad has achieved and they will be in pole position.

“But there will be opportunities that arise and the only way you can make sure you are in a position to take them is by playing consistently well at club level.

“So it’s something the players will use but equally it’s something I will use,” he said.

“And if they don’t achieve it hopefully that will be down to the strength of the other options Steve has as opposed to them falling short.”

Tomorrow ’s televised match marks exactly a year since Ross took on the reins at Easter Road and the former Sunderland and St Mirren manager is happy with Hibs’ progress.

Ross, however, concedes he has also set himself unrealistic targets.

He added: “I will probably never be satisfied, I will continually seek perfection and I wi l l probably never get it.

“I can be crabbit sometimes after training if I don’t feel we’re at the levels I think we need to be at.

“The first part of it is creating a mentality where everybody believes that they are involved in the targets you’ve set, and the second part is what I see on a daily basis.

“There are loads of things I think we have improved on and we are shifting the mentality as well.

“If you want to make it really simple, I think we were eighth in the league when we came in and up until last weekend we were third, so that in itself suggests progress.”

Jack Ross sees progress.