Source: FOOTYMAD
Next - Hibs in the League Cup
Hibs visit Fir Park on Tuesday evening for a 3rd round tie in the grandly named Scottish Communities League Cup. It will give the team an early opportunity to recover from the unfortunate event at the weekend. Last season Motherwell reached the semi final of this competition. That, together with the Scottish Cup final appearance helped us to a profitable year and a repeat (or improvement!) would be just the tonic the club needs as it attempts to pass the club to fan ownership. Before we get carried away with thoughts of Hampden the team will have to overcome a Hibs team that are currently joint bottom of the SPL. They let slip a two goal lead at East End Park on Saturday with Sproule and O’Connor providing the goals and they have recorded only one win from their seven league outings. Calderwood’s jacket is said to be hanging on the dreaded shooglie peg. Our management team will have noticed that O’Connor has scored four of Hibs’ five goals to date and no doubt that titbit will be pointed out as McCall plans our route to the next round. There are reports that both Sproule and Murray are doubtful for Tuesday's tie. Of greater importance will be the attitude of our own team. A reminder of the sharpness that delivered our earlier success and a return of the self belief that swept all before it might find a place in the team talk. We’ll be without the services of Saunders and Hutchison again but there were no reports of further injuries following Saturday’s game. A decision will have to be made about starting with Humphrey or Daley and there might be some thought given to Clancy’s partnership with Craigan in the middle. Page has been a fixture on the bench since he started against Clyde in the last round of the League Cup and he must be a possibility for a start on Tuesday. If we take the view that the disappointment against St Johnstone was an uncharacteristic blip then a return to form should see us move into the next round. Hopefully we can avoid the torture of extra time and penalties and celebrate a 2-1 win after ninety minutes. Remember the last time Hibs were at Fir Park.
