Pat Fenlon hopes the players he has brought to Hibs will give them the physical and mental strength needed to finally win an Edinburgh derby. Hibs welcome Hearts to Easter Road tomorrow aiming to end an 11-game run without a win in the fixture and ease the memory of the 5-1 Scottish Cup final defeat in May. Former Hearts defender Alan Maybury and former Coventry midfielder Gary Deegan could make their debuts, and Fenlon hopes they can help instil a more solid approach from his team. Fenlon said: "In some of the games we have probably been bullied a little bit and we have got to make sure we are strong. We could probably do with a couple of more to strengthen the squad. The two boys who have come in have plenty of experience and they will relish playing on Sunday. I don't think either of them will fear going out there on Sunday, that's for sure. Alan has great experience and Gary has that and a bit of steel about him. He will relish Sunday and that kicks in to other players." Hibs are under pressure to give their fans a lift after a long summer in the wake of their Hampden thrashing by their Edinburgh rivals. Their first attempt at giving their fans a boost ended in failure last week as they lost 3-0 to Dundee United. Another defeat to Hearts could risk undermining Fenlon's summer rebuilding job but the Irishman has demanded his players rise above the fear factor. The former Bohemians manager said: "They have got to enjoy playing. I've said that to them this week, if they can't enjoy playing in this atmosphere and on this surface. They should be feeding off that. They have to get the supporters behind them and have a right crack at them. There is always pressure in every job you are in, we all know that in football. There are plenty of people outside who want to stick the boot in as well, so that doesn't help, but you have to live with that. You can only try to progress. We have changed the club around, the squad, and there are going to be ups and downs. But we have to make sure we are competitive."
Source: FOOTYMAD
