Heckingbottom vows to ignore Hibs hecklers
HIBERNIAN head coach Paul Heckingbottom is adamant his squad will be in a better place after the international break.
The Leith side have only picked up four points from their opening four Premiership matches and also needed extra-time to see off Championship side Morton in their recent Betfred Cup last-16 clash.
Heckingbottom faced angry calls from a section of the travelling support to stand down during last weekend’s 3-0 loss at Motherwell.
However, the former Leeds United manager reckons he can get the team heading in the right direction by putting in the hours on the training pitch.
Heckingbottom also hopes the current two-week break will allow the likes of injured Darren McGregor, David Gray and Tom James to edge closer to a return ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Kilmarnock.
He said: “We’ll work on things, regroup and get players back where we’re short, get more fitness into the players. There is plenty to ponder and lots of work to do but we know what we’re working on.
“Anyone at Motherwell on Saturday will see a team that passed the ball well, were pretty in possession but were weak one-v-one in key moments in attacking and defending.
“If you don’t perform in those key areas you’ll lose games.”
Hibs signed former St Mirren and Ross County right-back Jason Naismith on loan from Peterborough on Monday having been hampered by injuries in that position.
Heckingbottom added: “We know we’re short in key positions which has been costing us.
“We need people back, we need to assess where they are and how long they’re going to be.
“The two weeks will give us two weeks closer to getting bodies back.”
Meanwhile, Hearts have suffered another injury set-back of their own after it emerged that goalkeeper Joel Pereira is set to miss their crucial league clash against Motherwell.
The on-loan Manchester United youngster was forced to sit out the Tynecastle side’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Hamilton last Saturday after being sent back to Old Trafford for treatment.
The initial medical reports received by the Edinburgh outfit suggested that the Portuguese shot-stopper would be in contention to return to action immediately following the international hiatus.
Speaking after the Accies defeat, manager Craig Levein said: “I’m hopeful it will settle down and he’ll be ready for Motherwell.”
However, a further scan in midweek has shown that the damage has not responded to treatment as well as the United doctors had hoped.
Levein is hopeful Pereira will be back in Scotland next week – albeit that is not certain – but he is not expected to be available to face the Steelmen in their next Premiership fixture.
That leaves Levein with a choice to make between Ireland internationalist Colin Doyle, who looked shaky against Accies, and the out-of-sorts Zdenek Zlamal.
Meanwhile, luckless Craig Wighton has undergone surgery to repair a knee complaint.
The former Dundee forward has endured several injury set-backs since joining Hearts from Dens Park last summer and is yet to score a goal in 19 outings for the capital side. He has not made a senior appearance this season. Manager Stephen Robinson admits he is hoping to tie goalscoring midfielder Liam Donnelly down on a new contract.
The 23-year-old has begun the campaign in a rich vein of form, scoring eight goals in as many games, earning him a recall to the Northern Ireland squad for the first time in five years.
The Dunganndon-born playmaker collected his second cap as a substitute in Thursday’s 1-0 friendly victory over Luxembourg and is in contention to face Germany in Monday’s Euro 2020 qualifier.
Donnelly, who made 11 appearances last term after joining from Hartlepool, is in the final 12 months of his current deal but compatriot Robinson is keeping his fingers crossed that an extension can be agreed.
He said: “He is someone we’re negotiating with over a contract and I’d be delighted to get him signed again after the international break.
“Liam is a boy I’ve worked with since he was 15, 16 years of age – so it was probably that connection that convinced him to come up here. People talked about him not being a good player for Motherwell last season, but he wasn’t fit – he’s always had talent – but now he’s got his mind and body right and he is a very good player.”
Kilmarnock have signed former Hamilton and West Ham left-back Stephen Hendrie on a one-year contract.
The 24-year-old has been drafted in after Killie sold Greg Taylor to Celtic. Hendrie has been a free agent since May after making 26 appearances for Southend last season.
The former Scotland Under-21 internationalist made more than 100 appearances for Hamilton before a big-money move to West Ham, but failed to make a firstteam breakthrough with the Hammers. He has also played for Blackburn and Motherwell on loan.
We passed the ball well, were pretty in possession but were weak one-v-one
Andy Ryan has warned that Dunfermline could find themselves in a “sticky situation” unless their new-look squad gels soon.
The Pars succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Arbroath last Saturday which extended their winless run in the Championship that stretches back to March 9.
The Fifers host Alloa in the third round of the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup this afternoon and Ryan knows it is high time they kick-start their campaign. He said: “We have some good players in this squad, we just need them to click. But we need to get it to click pretty quick, to be honest, or we will could find ourselves in a sticky situation.”