Easter Road boss urging his troops to finish season on front foot

HIBERNIAN boss Paul Heckingbottom praised his players for nailing down a spot in the top six — and challenged them to prove themselves all over again over the closing stretch of the season. The capital side held on for a draw at home to Kilmarnock at Easter Road last night, with Ofir Marciano’s brilliant second-half save from Jordan Jones proving crucial. Heckingbottom, undefeated in seven league games since succeeding Neil Lennon, said: ‘From a development point and getting better, I wanted to play the top teams again. I’ll know more about them. ‘We’ve got Hearts twice then every other game will be against a top side. That’s what I want. ‘Next year, we want to be competing against those sides. Let’s see where we are now. ‘Form suggests we’re right up with them. But let’s see. ‘I’m delighted with top six. The players deserve a massive pat on the back, a lot of credit. ‘Five wins and two draws is great. We build on that now, put it in the bank and move forward. ‘I want the players focused on pushing to get better every day. That’s the only way we’ll get where we want to be. The games get harder and that’s what I want. ‘It was a really good save from Ofir. That was a moment when I feared the worst. ‘But it was a save, it didn’t hit him. He got a strong hand up and made the save. Those moments win games. Tonight, it got us the point. ‘It was a tough, tight game. As I expected. They defended really well, bodies behind the ball, looking to break quickly.’ Hibs now head into Saturday’s Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle a point behind rivals Hearts. Meanwhile, Kilmarnock assistant manager Alex Dyer, standing in for Steve Clarke on media duties while the gaffer nursed a heavy cold, was left caught between cursing his team’s missed chances and celebrating a battling draw. ‘It’s always hard to come here so it’s a good point,’ said Dyer. ‘We created a lot of chances and could have won the game. But we’re glad to get a point. ‘We’re a decent outfit now, we work hard for each other. The boys always put in a shift. ‘So we are disappointed that we haven’t won the game. ‘We dominated most of the game. I think on a different night we would have scored a few goals. ‘Our final ball sometimes let us down but, overall, we’re happy with the draw.’