Hibernian V Ross County at Easter Road Stadium : Match Preview

24 December 2012 15:31
Hibernian V Ross County - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Fenlon: We're not a one-man team

Pat Fenlon insists Eoin Doyle's equaliser against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Sunday proved the Easter Road side are about more than Leigh Griffiths.

The on-loan Wolves striker has captured most of the headlines this season, mostly by notching 13 goals.

However, after Killie striker Paul Heffernan had opened the scoring for the home side, Griffiths turned provider when he set up the 24-year-old Dubliner to level from close range with his eighth of the season which gave the visitors a valuable Clydesdale Bank Premier League point.

Looking ahead to the visit of Ross County on Boxing Day, Fenlon said: "Doyle, in fairness, he has chipped in with a lot of goals.

"He does away with the myth that we are a one-man team and if Leigh doesn't score then we don't play. So I am delighted for him.

"He has been brilliant since the start of the season and the one thing he was probably missing was the end product and in fairness to Leigh, he contributed with the other side of the game by setting it up for him.

"Leigh does that, when you get goalscorers like him they are usually penalty box scorers but Leigh's general play is very good.

"He drops deeper and poses defenders problems, his movement and passing is good and obviously he scores goals."

Fenlon will have a look at his squad on Christmas day before naming a team to play the Staggies.

He said: "They will take a bit of confidence from Kilmarnock.

"Last week's (3-2) defeat against Motherwell was disappointing because if you get beat well you hold your hands up, but to play so well and lose it at the end can affect players. But we showed character to bounce back from it.

"We are in on Christmas Day for a training session and then we will get them ready for Ross County.

"We will look at where we are and then pick a team."

Ross County manager Derek Adams remains upbeat despite having to look back to the start of November for their last win.

Saturday's 4-0 Clydesdale Bank Premier League defeat by Celtic at Parkhead stretched the Staggies winless run to nine games although they remain six points ahead of bottom side Dundee having played a game more.

County last earned three points with a 2-1 home win over Aberdeen almost two months ago but Adams refuses to consider the Highland club's first season in the SPL as anything other than a success.

"The players are not in a rut," he said. "They are in the SPL, and for a team like Ross County, it is something we have enjoyed.

"We have had an excellent start to the SPL with 18 points in 19 games.

"We have only been defeated seven times and that is terrific.

"We are probably two points short of where we would be delighted to be.

"We would have had a perfect start with 20 points but 18 points is fine and if we can do the same in the second half of the season and a wee bit more we will do well this season.

"But we don't have expectations. We have gone from the First Division into the SPL and there is no expectation at our football club."

Adams' side put up a decent show in the first-half at Parkhead and might have gone into the interval with an unlikely lead had Rocco Quinn and Alex Cooper not missed good chances.

However, any prospects of a shock win ended a minute into the second-half when Celtic skipper Scott Brown slammed the ball into the County goal from 14 yards.

Parkhead striker Gary Hooper then helped himself to a brace before substitute James Forrest capped his return to action by grabbing the fourth after being out since October with a hamstring injury.

Adams will monitor Cooper who was replaced by Mark Corcoran early in the second-half with a leg injury.

He said: "Alex Cooper had to come off injured with a nasty gash to his leg. Everybody else seems to be fine.

"We will assess things and take it from there."

end

Source: PA