Stubbs Looks Ahead To Livingston

Hibernian will be bidding to get back to winning ways in an hour or so when we seek to banish the loss to Falkirk from memories with three points over Livingston.

Taking a brief look back to the Scottish Cup semi final, he said.

‘This is the part of football that is a test but it’s one that can make you stronger. Obviously we are all disappointed from Saturday and rightly so, we put a lot into the game, and it just didn’t fall our way on the day. You have to put it to one side and use it to spur you on to finish the season the way we want to. The cup is a nice added bonus, everyone gets caught up in the romance of the cup, and me included. It could have been a great day out but it wasn’t to be. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, and it wasn’t for the team failing to perform on the big stage, because they did. It just didn’t fall our way. It’s a good sign for the run-in that they coped with the pressure, they just didn’t get the ball across the line. They will learn from it, they all understand, and they are all ready for the end of the season. Saturday was a huge disappointment but what a chance we have still got to go up.’

With all that said it’s now back to the Championship campaign and the search for second place.

Livingston he knows however need the points just as much as we do so it’s not going to be an easy game for us and we will have to learn from the weekend and take our chances when they come along to give ourselves the best chance of the win we want and the response he wants to see from the players.

The Edinburgh News has him quoted as saying.

‘I have seen Livingston on a few occasions recently and they have certainly got a spirit amongst them. They`ve won three and drawn their last game against Rangers and I know Mark will be disappointed that they only took a point out of that game when they could have won it. They have a real tempo about them at the moment, the results have envigorated them, given them a real lift so we know we will be in for a difficult game.’

For the match tonight we are without Scott Allan who serves a one game suspension but Martin Boyle will return having missed the last game being cup tied.

Speaking himself before the game Dylan McGeouch says the only way we will now lose the ‘bottler’ tag as thrown at us once more following the weekend’s loss is by charging on and getting promotion.

The Daily Record quote him as saying.

‘People will question our 
bottle. They did it a few weeks ago when we lost three games on the bounce. It was a big game where we have failed but we have struggled to beat Falkirk a few times this season. It`s about how we bounce back. We can`t let it knock out confidence. We still have a lot to play for. We must keep the pressure on 
Rangers by winning games and hopefully we`ll be in second place going into the promotion play-offs.’

Fraser Fyvie also spoke ahead of tonight’s game.

‘Our main aim is promotion. We had a few words with each other after the game but we`re very much united. We feel frustrated and disappointed. A lot of the boys are upset. But we must pick up and go again. Promotion would make it up to the supporters probably. I`ve got to thank the fans, the atmosphere was good – probably the best I`ve heard them – and I`m sorry we`ve sent them home disappointed.’