Hibernian manager John Hughes senses his players are about to come out fighting against St Johnstone in a bid to banish the negative coverage surrounding the club.
Hibs have won just four times in 27 matches in a run stretching back to February, but they qualified for Europe in that spell by clinching fourth spot in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and victory at McDiarmid Park on Saturday could push them back into the top half of the table.
"The boys have been showing a fantastic spirit in training," Hughes said. "I feel good vibes, but that doesn't guarantee you'll win a football match. But I just feel there is a togetherness about them, that all this rubbish that is getting talked is starting to annoy them, and if that's the case I'm hoping they will come out fighting and get three points on Saturday."
He added: "It's up to these guys. I can talk about it but you need the strength of character in the dressing room to do something about it. Hopefully that will be the case come Saturday."
Hughes, whose team lost 2-1 at Celtic Park last weekend, said: "I feel the resilience that they showed at Parkhead, I feel they are starting to turn the corner."
Hibs lost 5-1 in Perth in February three matches into that 26-game sequence and Hughes was toying with a more solid formation in a bid to
But he feels his team's performance at Celtic Park has shown there are better times around the corner.
"Possibly you would take three points because that would steady the ship and allow us to get back playing football again," Hughes said.
"But I'm big on my philosophy and big on my performance and I felt at Parkhead last week that tactically we were good."
Source: PA
