Source: FOOTYMAD
Confidence Is The Key For Hibs
What a difference in attitude when a winning run gets started. Hibs are a different prospect now they have managed to win a few in a row. Hibs look a much more confident side now that they have recorded their fourth win in a row to see the month of February out. This mini-run has followed a 12-game winless streak and Lewis Stevenson can see the belief flowing at Easter Road. He believes opposing teams will now be worried about facing Colin Calderwood's rejuvenated side. March is a another month of course as Hibs face three away games - a trip to Hamilton on Tuesday, St Johnstone next Saturday and Celtic on 16 March - but Stevenson is optimistic the recent success will continue. He said: "The confidence is up and we just have to keep going. I think teams will be fearing us now more than they were. Teams were looking forward to playing us, thinking we would be pushovers, but not now. We've been scoring goals, we've been keeping clean sheets - it's a good recipe for winning games." Substitute Stevenson and the impressive Callum Booth were on target at Easter Road to secure the three points which took 10th-placed Hibs five points behind sixth-placed Caley Thistle. The table is getting congested with the SPL split coming up. Stevenson, though, says Hibs cannot realistically start thinking about a top-six finish and instead must carry out their manager's instructions to just keep winning. The midfielder went on: "I don't think we can look that far ahead. A few weeks' ago we were down worrying about relegation. The gaffer was saying three, four games is nothing, you need to go on a run of 12 games undefeated - that's what we're looking to do. We're looking up now, rather than behind us. If we get the wins anything can happen." Stevenson came off the bench with little more than 10 minutes left in the game and his deflected effort one minute from time saw him claim his first Hibs goal, having made his debut more than four years' ago. He said: "One goal every 104 games which is not the best ratio. I've never been in that position, especially with the deflection - I don't know how you're supposed to react to things like that. It could have gone into row Z, but it hit off about three players and went in - I'll take it. A few of the new boys were asking me how many goals I'd scored and I wanted to make up a figure like 16 or something, but they found out that was my first one. Maybe that's the floodgates opened now and I'll get a few." Tuesday night will also be important for Inverness, who are seeking to consolidate their place in the top half of the table amid increasing pressure from the teams below. Terry Butcher's side face a seventh-placed Dundee United side which has games in-hand at the Caledonian Stadium. Butcher said:"Tuesday's a big day for us. There is a scrap. We play Dundee United and Motherwell at home now in four days, we look forward to that. We've got six games left (before the split), four at home, two away, all fantastically big matches and generally playing teams in and around us." Caley Thistle striker Adam Rooney was denied by two good Graham Stack saves on Saaturday and believes Inverness were well below par. And Rooney is aware how crucial Tuesday's game is as his side chase a top-six finish. Rooney said: "We want to be as high up the league as we can. Hopefully we'll be back to ourselves on Tuesday night and make it difficult." Editor Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba net)Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba net)This is ScottishFitba Net
