Hibernian

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Former Hibs midfielder Scott Allan thinks the Easter Road side are putting together a run of form at 'the most crucial time', as they went five games unbeaten this weekend.

Thanks to their routine 2-0 win over Ross County, Hibs headed into the top six for the first time since January.

"I was in this situation with Shaun Maloney a couple of years ago," Allan said on the Scottish Football Podcast.

"We were needing one win for about five weeks just to get in the top six. It seems like Nick Montgomery is putting a run together just at probably the most crucial time and Hibs are gaining confidence from it."

Allan also singled out one January signing for praise - a man who plays in a similar position to himself.

"Marcondes looks like he's got a little bit of stardust," Allan added. "I watched the [Edinburgh] derby during the weekend and you could see he's got a little something extra, something Hibs were missing.

"You're starting to see that now, they've got pace all over the pitch. I think [Jordan] Obita has come in and been excellent for Hibs this season."

• Listen to the full episode here.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Dylan Levitt has frustrated Hibs fans so far this season, occassionally failing to live up to the bags of ability he clearly has.

Not the case on Saturday. Brought on as a half-time sub, he made a big impact as Hibs went on to score twice and down a stubborn Ross County, scoring the second goal that killed the game off.

James McFadden has praise for Hibs' on-form forward, while Neil McCann believes the side's structural changes have been for the best.

Watch the best of the action as Hibs score twice in the second half to beat Ross County at Easter Road. (Available to UK users only)

We asked for your thoughts after Hibernian's home victory against struggling Ross County.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Ross: Decent performance. I thought Bushiri had his best game for us. Introduction of Levitt second half made the difference, delighted he got his goal. No reason we can't get fourth.

Kenny: Another good result because we have stopped playing suicidal football at the back. We are now playing better at both ends of the park. We need to build now on these results and learn not to give away cheap goals as we have been doing. Great chance now to beat Rangers.

Rico: We were too slow in our build up for much of the game, then their keeper handed us a goal, and we were pretty comfortable after that. Top six looks possible now, but our aim should be top four, and that looks unlikely thanks to all the months we dropped points while Montgomery stubbornly refused to change his tactics or formations.

Sandy: I like consistency in team selection and thats what we got. Ground this one out, with a clean sheet as well but Dundee's slip has us into top six. I can see us beating Rangers now in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup. Well done to the manager and players .

Billy: A hard fought win today, I thought we were lacklustre in the first half but were a different animal after the break, the subs seemed to make something click, Levitt, Le Fondre and Youan were the creative sparks we needed. Maolida showed great determination to force the opener and Levitt's near control sealed it. It’s been a good week to be a Hibby.

Fergis: A very poor game with every player guilty of sloppy control and passes , struggled to create anything but a fantastic three points in the end and that’s really all that mattered in this must-win game.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland at Easter Road

Dylan Levitt has stressed that Hibs "cannot let the standards drop" after collecting seven points in week that has lifted them back into the top-six of the Scottish Premiership.

Nick Montgomery's side were recently five points outside the top six, but the win over Ross County, achieved through second-half goals from Myziane Maolida and substitute Levitt, has lifted them above Dundee.

"This week we could have had nine points and obviously it gives us a massive stepping stone ahead of the game next Sunday [Scottish Cup quarter-final against Rangers]," Levitt told BBC Scotland.

"You can see [that momentum building] it over the last few weeks. We have really picked up and started to get the results we needed. Obviously when you are winning games of football, everyone is in high spirits.

“When coming in the next day for recovery, we are all just keen to keep that momentum going and heading into the next game trying to get all three points the next week.

"We need to work hard and not let the standards drop from what we have set recently."

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

• Hibs attempted 547 passes in this game, their highest total in a single match in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Ross County have failed to score in 15 of their 28 games, more often than any other team in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Hibs are undefeated in their last four games in the Scottish Premiership, their last longer unbeaten streak was from 28 October 2023 to 3 December 2023, a run of six games.

• Elie Youan has assisted four goals this season (one in this game), no Hibs player has more in the Scottish Premiership.

Were you at Easter Road or following the match from home? Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here.

Hibernian manager Nick Montgomery: "We more than deserved three points. We made it a little bit hard for ourselves at times, we created a lot of opportunities and could have made it really comfortable.

"But fair play to Ross County, they put a lot of men behind the ball and it was difficult to break them down.

"Second half it was just about having a little bit more composure. After Myazine got the first goal we could have scored a few more and it was nice to score the second goal and get some minutes into boys legs who haven't played much the last week.

"It's been a massive effort from everybody, we set out to get nine points and should have got nine points. We got seven and I'm proud of the team.

"What you have to do is put the ball in the back of the net. That's let us down over the course of the season.

"There have been many games we've dominated but if you don't put your chances away you're always open to a sucker punch.

"We've had plenty of sucker punches this season for many different reasons.

"I thought today was a very professional performance."

Image source, SNS

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

January recruits and getting players off the treatment table has helped Hibs turn around some bleak form in the last four games.

The quality of their attacking players, including Myazine Maolida and Emiliano Marcondes, is clear to see and Dylan Levitt's introduction at half-time helped Hibs get the ball forward with a bit more urgency.

The switch from a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1 has made things a bit more solid out of possession, too, and a first clean sheet in the league since the 9 December will help build confidence in their defending.

Nick Montgomery's plea for his players to be more ruthless in the final third won't dim, though, as they got into some really good positions only to let themselves down with a poor final pass or cross.

Marcondes had an effort from the edge of the six-yard box saved, Vente dummied from a similar range when he should have shot, and Le Fondre also bulleted a good headed chance wide.

If they can be more clinical then a top-six berth is there for the taking.

Hibs boss Nick Montgomery sticks with the same XI which started the Edinburgh derby draw on Wednesday night.

It's the third game in a row that Hibs have gone for the same team.

• Follow the action

Image source, BBC Sport

Hibernian midfielder Luke Amos is facing a couple of weeks out with a muscle injury sustained against Dundee last weekend.

Long-term absentees Josh Campbell and Jake Doyle-Hayes remain sidelined.

Ross County are set to have an unchanged squad, although midfielder Ross Callachan is stepping up his training programme following a long-term knee injury.

Will Nightingale, Connor Randall, Scott Allardice, Dylan Smith and captain Jack Baldwin also remain out.

Image source, SNS

Nick Montgomery wants to see Hibernian build on promising performances to cement a place in the top half of the Premiership.

The Easter Road side, who host Ross County on Saturday, slipped down the table following a run of eight league games in a row without victory from early December.

However, Hibs are now unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions and have collected five points from their last three games to close within a point of sixth-placed Dundee.

"We’ve been playing really well," said manager Montgomery. "The new boys we brought in are really starting to settle and getting the boys back from international duty has coincided with the last three or four games.

"I think we have had some real momentum. I think we should have had more points than we’ve got but that’s something we can’t change.

"What we can do is turn up at Easter Road tomorrow for another big game and put in a good performance.

"I genuinely believe we should be in the top six now if we hadn’t have had a couple of unfortunate things go against us in the last few weeks.

"But we are where we are and we’ve still got an opportunity to get there. The main target is to try and get three points in every game, and that won’t change. We know it’s in our own hands to get into the top six."

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

We offered you the chance to submit questions to one of our Sportscene pundits.

Q: Would you get rid of VAR?

I don’t envisage Scotland making a drastic call about VAR while other nations still operate with it. We need to accept it’s here to stay.

Within football there has to be an element of human error, players make mistakes, but the fact we’ve seen a big increase in errors means there’s clear improvement required.

That goes beyond Scottish football, though, you see that all over the place. What we need to do here is continue to upskill the referees. Their performances need to improve and there needs to be more accountability.

These incorrect decisions are very costly for clubs. Recognising an error is okay, but you can’t be offering out apologies every week.

Hibernian welcome strugglers Ross County to Easter Road on Saturday as they continue their push for a top-six finish.

After Wednesday night's draw with Edinburgh rivals Heart of Midlothian, should Nick Montgomery change his starting line-up?

Put yourself in the manager's shoes and pick your XI here.

We offered you the chance to submit questions on your club to one of our Sportscene pundits.

Q: What do you make of Hibernian under Nick Montgomery?

It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for Hibs this season. The fact Nick Montgomery stuck with that bold 4-4-2 system for as long as he did was quite detrimental to how the fans view him.

He’s probably put himself under a little bit of unnecessary pressure. I expect any manager to have a philosophy, but Hibs need to deliver results and performances haven’t been quite there.

In the last couple of weeks he’s changed the system, it looks vastly improved and the new signings like Myziane Maolida and Emiliano Marcondes look real players.

Nathan Moriah-Welsh looks a solid addition in midfield, but there are still some questions defensively.

Results have gone against them in recent weeks. At this point they should probably be in the top six, but I expect them to get in the top half based on recent performances and push St Mirren in fifth.

Image source, SNS

Nick Montgomery hailed the influence of Emiliano Marcondes and believes Hibs have started to look like "a proper team" in recent weeks.

Montgomery's side were unfortunate to only take a point away from Tynecastle on Wednesday, as Marcondes' opener was cancelled out by Lawrence Shankland's penalty.

Marcondes now has two goals in seven appearances since joining on loan from Bournemouth in January, and Montgomery says his ability is evident.

“Emi is a top-class player, he scored his goal and had another one cleared off the line in the first half,” the Hibs manager said.

“For someone who had not played for eight months, to speak to him and convince him to come here, to buy into what we’re doing, we can see the fans love him, the players love him – and he’s just a top, top player.

“He’s getting fitter every week in training and in games. He took a bit of knock in his first game at Kilmarnock, that set him back a bit. But you saw again against Hearts the quality that he brings.

“He’s also a guy who brings a calmness to the team. He really links up well with the front players. He’s been fantastic for us.

“Hopefully the fans come out in force and really get behind us for this last push, because I think they can see we’ve been building some good momentum in the last couple of weeks.

“The new guys are settling in and, since we got the boys back from international duty, I think you can see a proper team.”

Jonathan Sutherland is joined by Clyde manager Ian McCall and Queen’s Park forward Cillian Sheridan to discuss all the big Scottish football news.

They look back on a busy night of action in the Premiership after Celtic destroyed Dundee and Rangers earned a "massive three points" at Rugby Park.

They also discuss the Edinburgh derby and the growing pressure on Neil Warnock at Aberdeen.

And, as ever on a Thursday, they look ahead to what promises to be another nail-biting weekend in the Championship.

Listen to the episode in full here.