Source: PA
Hibs urged to stand and deliver
Hibernian manager John Hughes has urged his players to show the club is progressing on the field as well as off it when they take on Rangers this Sunday.
The new East Stand at Easter Road will be officially opened for the visit of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League champions, and a bumper crowd is expected for Hibs' first home league match of the campaign. While Hughes wants his team to be inspired by their new surroundings, he is keen to remind them that their principle aim is to keep picking up results on the pitch to ensure the supporters want to return.
Hughes, whose side opened the campaign with a 3-2 victory at Motherwell last Sunday, said: "In the current financial climate, Hibs are still forging ahead by building the new stand and a new pitch, and we're still a work in progress.
"We have to make sure on the pitch we play a style of football that I think the fans want to see and hopefully it can bring us success. The new stand certainly inspires us but it's all about bringing success. It shows you the way the club is evolving.
"The first home game was in Europe against NK Maribor and although the stand wasn't open at the time, it gave the players a lift. But it's all about the game, the rest of it takes care of itself. It's the same when you go and play in these wonderful stadia through in Glasgow, you have to make sure you concentrate on your football. The players appreciate the hard work that's gone on with the stadium.
"To keep playing at that stadium for a number of years you have to go out there and put in man-of-the-match performances. I think there is a real appreciation of that, of where the club has come from and where it's going, and to be part of that for many years let's go and put on a show."
