Ross says fixtures run can help clear way back to top
JACK ROSS has urged his Hibs stars to use their fixtures logjam to clear a path back towards the top three – and earn a place in his cup final starting XI.
The Easter Road side are in the midst of a nine-game run of games in December as they play catch-up after their Covid lay-off last month. One win in the last eight matches has seen Hibs slump to seventh after a fast start to the campaign saw them top the table in September. But three games against bottom-six sides in under a week – starting with tonight’s trip to Livingston followed by Saturday’s clash at St Mirren and then Tuesday’s home meeting with Dundee – offers the opportunity to shoot back into the top half of the table ahead of the final against Celtic at Hampden. Three wins would also close the gap on Hearts, 11 points ahead in third but who have played two games more. Ross said: “I’ve been quite open about what I want to do with the club from when I came. We’ve hit a lot of these targets. “We’ve given ourselves a chance to hit another one in a couple of weeks in another final. “With the league, the objective and the opportunity to get there remains but we need to be more consistent in terms of picking up points on a regular basis. We have games in hand, we go into three games in six days knowing three positive results will take us higher in the league and into a much healthier position.
“It’s not like we need to rely on other things happening. It’s an important spell because once we get these games out of the way we are back on an equilibrium with a lot of other teams.
“We need to take advantage and put ourselves back into, minimum, an area that we should be in and that gives us a platform to go higher back to where we were for a long period.”
Ross – who will again be without long-term absentees Sean Mackie, Dan Mackay, Melker Hallberg and Kyle Magennis in West Lothian tonight – insists the looming Premier Sports Cup Final isn’t playing on his players minds despite being just 11 days away.
He said: “Nothing changes. There is no effect where players suddenly start wanting to play well to play in the cup final.
“It’s an ongoing basis, to stay in the team, week by week and match by match.
“We’ve got so many games. We’re in a lot at the moment and spending a lot of time with each other. Our preparation for games is huge in terms of our analysis and our physical preparation and the work all our staff are doing to ensure players are ready.
“So we’ve very little time to pause and think about it. It will come around quickly.
“The two or three days we have after the Dundee game, yes we’ll think about it then.
“Certainly at the moment it is not something we have had the opportunity to even cast our minds towards.”
Ryan Porteous is focused on climbing the table. And the defender knows the prospect of a starting jersey at Hampden can help in that regard. He said: “Everyone wants to be playing in the cup final and wants to start so if we want to put our names in the hat for the cup final then we need to be performing well and winning games in the league first and foremost. “The festive period is difficult for everyone and can really define your season. “We have been off the boil results-wise in the league for a month or so and we need to get going again. “It has not been for the lack of performance, we just need to try to find ways to win games. Last year we were consistent with that and we have played a lot worse than recently and won but it is all about winning and getting the three points. “Performances really don’t matter as long as you can get the three points. “We want to get back into that top six and then the top three and four. That’s where we want to be.”