Source: Team_Talk
Hogg turns focus towards SPL
Hibernian captain Chris Hogg insists the Easter Road team can recover from their Europa League disappointment in time for the SPL kick-off.[LNB] John Hughes' outfit were soundly beaten in both legs of their third qualifying round encounter with NK Maribor, losing 3-2 at home on Thursday after a 3-0 defeat in Slovenia seven days earlier.[LNB]Having worked so hard to finish fourth in the SPL last season the early exit is a hammer blow for the Edinburgh side before the new league campaign has even got under way.[LNB]However, Hogg is adamant he and his team-mates will approach the domestic season with optimism as they prepare for their opening clash away to Motherwell on August 15.[LNB]He said: "The league is a different kettle of fish. Any team that plays in Europe will tell you that.[LNB]"Us being in pre-season and playing against a team that are in their season was a big factor. It's not an excuse but it's a big factor.[LNB]"When we go into the league it's a whole different game.[LNB]"You approach it differently in terms of your game plan and things like that, so we're looking forward now to getting into the league and battering into it."[LNB]Hogg played through the pain of a knee injury to see out the game against Maribor, a match that was always likely to be a bridge too far for Hibs.[LNB]Going into the second leg they required four goals to progress to the play-off round and their task became even more improbable when they conceded a soft goal to Maribor captain Marcos Tavares from a corner after only 19 minutes.[LNB]The opener came after a sustained spell of pressure from Hibs and instantly deflated both the hosts and their supporters on a European occasion that ended up being one to forget.[LNB]Hogg added: "We changed our game plan and went long. We talked about getting the ball forward early and it wasn't the prettiest of stuff.[LNB]"We were told to put the ball into big Nishy (Colin Nish) as often as we could and play off that, get us into their half and put pressure on them.[LNB]"I thought we did that for the first 15 or so minutes, we were on top of the game and they didn't really create much early on.[LNB]"But then we lost a goal from a set play, which is very disappointing to concede from, and when the boy scored the header it has obviously killed us in terms of the tie.[LNB]"We showed a half-decent spirit to keep going. We wanted to win the football game at home but it wasn't to be."
