Hibs goalkeeper Ben Williams believes the upcoming festive period will be key in the team reaching their targets in the SPL this season. Hibs go into this weekend's games in fourth place and are keen to bounce back from successive losses to Inverness and Motherwell with a win at Rugby Park on Sunday. Following the game against Kilmarnock, Hibs take on Ross County on Boxing Day, Celtic and then Hearts on 3 January before a two-week break. Williams said: "It's a point in the season now with so many games coming thick and fast, you can either make up a lot of ground in the league or you can drop. We really need to make sure we're making up ground. We've got four games now in quick succession. It's important that we pick up a decent amount of points, even if it's a case of trying to keep hold of Celtic, hold on to their coat tails before the winter break." Hibs place in the top four, where they have been since 1 October, could be under threat, depending on the result at Pittodrie between Aberdeen and St Johnstone, while eighth-placed Killie and ninth-placed Hearts are only five points adrift. Williams recognises the need for the Easter Road men to reverse recent results to achieve the end-of-season goal of a top-six place. Former Colchester 'keeper Williams said: "It's incredibly tight. You can win two or three games on the bounce and you can move up from sixth to second and people are asking questions of whether you can catch Celtic, whether you can win the league. You lose and you're talking about relegation. It's still very early in the season. It's important we manage expectation and stick to the focus we had at the start of the season, which was a top-six finish." Williams knows Rugby Park will be a challenge for Hibs, even though Killie manager Kenny Shiels is confined to the stands. Williams said: "Their manager's ambitious, seems quite a character from what I've read, but a serious man and a football man. They play a very nice, stylish brand of football. They have a philosophy they stick to and it seems to do well for them. They've got some fantastic results, beating Celtic away. It's going to be a tough game for us."
Source: ScottishFitba
Source: FOOTYMAD
