Edjenguele tells Hibs to enjoy it while they can as rivals United will not go away
WILLIAM Edjenguele left Leith determined to immediately wipe out the memory of a messy 90 minutes for Dundee United — but still store the sights of the post-match party.
Easter Road was rocking at the final whistle as Hibernian players boisterously celebrated their 3-0 dismissal of Ladbrokes Championship rivals United in front of their fans in the near-19,000 crowd.
That was fair play, according to the giant defender, following a third clash of the campaign between the two title rivals who are well clear of the rest of the field. However, a four-point gap in early January will not lead to any admission of defeat from Edjenguele.
The 29-year-old Frenchman (right) told Neil Lennon and his players to savour the adulation from Friday night’s fun because United will still be a force in the race when they next meet on March 11.
‘I hope they’re happy and they can enjoy it,’ said Edjenguele. ‘But there’s a long way to go, so we’ll see. That should have meant a lot to Hibs.
‘It was a big game with a lot of fans, it was first against second. We beat them at home as well. We were happy — I remember, so they can enjoy.
‘The thing is, we can’t dwell on it because there are 16 games to go. It was a bad day at the office for us. Well done Hibs, but we’ll see what they do over the next 16 games.
‘I would say there is a different pressure being up there at the top. It’s not easy to stay on top, going by my experience in the past.
‘I am confident that the next time we meet, the title will still be there to be played for. If I wasn’t sure, I could stop playing right now. In my mind, there is no doubt about that.
‘It’s not like it’s the end of April now, there are more than three months to play. Again, I hope they enjoy it because we will be back at work to put things right against Queen of the South.’ A United defence that conceded only four times in the previous 12 games in all competitions lacked cohesion from early on and were taken apart by Jason Cummings and Chris Humphrey. After closing out the year with a 1-0
‘IT’S NOT S O EASY TO STAY ON TOP. THAT’S ALL I’LL SAY’
defeat at Dumbarton, 2017 began with another blank in front of goal and a fourth league defeat of the campaign.
Ray McKinnon will be hoping Danish striker Thomas Mikkelsen, who was introduced as a second-half substitute, can add much-needed penalty-box danger to his promotion-chasing squad.
‘I’m disappointed,’ said Edjenguele. ‘We wanted to come here and put on a performance for ourselves and our fans.
‘They turned out in numbers, but we let ourselves down a little bit.
‘I don’t think we could match that Hibs tempo in the first 20 minutes and we conceded two avoidable goals. Humphrey probably had the game of his life.
‘Yes, it was a bad performance but over the past few months we’ve done a good job. The manager was a little bit angry. He is a winner.
‘Nobody likes to lose but he also wanted to emphasise about the run we’ve been on and we need to get back to winning ways. Simple as that.
‘I know now it’s hard for me to say but I’m looking forward to seeing how the guys respond because I know I am ready to respond in our next games.
‘For a few days it will be hard but, starting Tuesday, I hope their heads will be high because there is a long way to go.’
United will press ahead with trying to persuade Edjenguele to commit to the club beyond the end of the season.
‘I’ve been talking with the manager and he told me he wants me to stay,’ said the former Coventry defender.
‘Obviously, I want to stay because I’m very pleased to be at the club.
‘We’re talking, there is still no agreement but I hope we can find a solution in the next few days.’