Stubbs: We’re not too tired
ALAN Stubbs believes his Hibs team have learned from their Ladbrokes Premiership play-off semi-final defeat by Rangers and can clinch a place in the top flight this season.
The Easter Road club lost 2-1 to the Ibrox club over two legs 12 months ago after finishing above them in the Championship – but Stubbs reckons they will be better as a result.
Ahead of the first leg quarter-final match against Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park tomorrow evening, he said: “You have to learn from every match you play in. No matter what, I think all the games in this season’s play-offs are going to be close games.
“We are happy with the way we are going into them and happy with our form, but we know we are going to have to perform very well.”
Rangers ended up losing the play-off final matches 6-1 on aggregate to Motherwell – but Stubbs reckons their failure to win promotion had nothing to do with fatigue. And he is confident his Hibs team, who play Rangers in the Scottish Cup final on May 21, have the legs they need to negotiate all the games they could face this month.
“I think everybody was surprised with the outcome of the games between Rangers and Motherwell,” he said. “Motherwell went there and hit them on the counter and scored a couple of goals. Straight away that puts you on the back foot. I don’t think it was tiredness that contributed to those games.”
Stubbs says he believes the youthful players he has brought into his side mean his team are looking “sharp and bright again”.