After losing to Hearts on Monday, Hibs' Ian Murray has already begun looking ahead to the trip to Dunfermline on 14 January which could potentially decide which side is relegated to the First Division. Manager Pat Fenlon has yet to see Hibs win and his next opponents are Cowdenbeath in the fourth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup.
He will no doubt be hoping that the league pressure will be off and he could see a win after five attempts. After the cup game, next up in the League are the Pars, who are currently a point behind the Easter Road club at the bottom of the table but have a game in hand. After beginning the season under Colin Calderwood with top-six ambitions, Hibs have revised their goals after a poor showing in the first half of the league. Captain Murray said: "It's going to be very difficult now. Our ambitions at the start of the season aren't our ambitions now.
Teams are starting to get away from us a little bit, so we need to try to start getting away from the bottom, try to isolate Dunfermline and leave them at the bottom on their own. But they will be thinking exactly the same.
The game at Dunfermline has turned into a very, very big game all of a sudden." Murray is certain improvements are being made under Fenlon, whose only point came in the 1-1 draw with Inverness.
The defender, in his second spell with the club, went on: "We've got a good squad and behind the scenes we're working incredibly hard. We're not picking up many points, but we're looking a lot sharper. Things have got a little bit better, game by game. There are a few players who weren't playing very well a month ago, six weeks ago who are now coming back into the team and playing a wee bit better. It bodes well for the future but we've got to take this loss (to Hearts) on the chin and get on with it. Our aim is to get out of the rut we're in. Dunfermline away is a huge game for both teams. Our overall objective now is to get out of where we are. Whoever we get the points against it doesn't really matter."
Source: FOOTYMAD
