The Hibees could break into the top six if they beat Ross County and Dundee fail to win
Nick Montgomery has urged Hibs to continue their recent winning streak by dominating Ross County and improving their prospects of finishing in the top six of the Premiership.
After losing their first eight league games since early December, the Easter Road team fell into the bottom six. But following some astute January acquisitions and the return of several important players from injury and international duty, Hibs have won five of their past six games to pull within a point of sixth-place Dundee. They have also gone undefeated in their last four games in all competitions.
“Our performance has been outstanding,” stated manager Montgomery. “The last three or four games have coincided with the boys’ return from international duty, and the new boys we brought in are really starting to settle in.” I believe there has been significant progress. Although I believe we should have had more points than we did, we are powerless to alter it. All we can do is show up tomorrow at Easter Road for another crucial game and play well.
Hibs will have a chance to qualify for Europe for a second season if they can force their way into the top six during their final six pre-split games, following on an outstanding performance in their 1-1 draw away to local rivals Hearts in midweek. Montgomery remarked, “I’m not going to look too far ahead; we’ll just concentrate on the next game.” “If we hadn’t had a few unfortunate things (contentious refereeing decisions) go against us in the previous few weeks, I truly believe we should be in the top six currently. However, we still have the chance to get where we want to go from where we are now. The primary goal will always be to attempt to score three points in each game. We are aware that we are responsible for placing in the top six.
When Hibs lost 3-0 to St Mirren at home four weeks ago, it seemed as though they were in a state of mild turmoil. However, as a result of their on-field exploits and the news that billionaire Bill Foley, the owner of Bournemouth, has been given the go-ahead to become a minority investor and invest £6 million in the Edinburgh club, the mood around the club has improved. “Over the past few months, there has been a lot of talk about the off-field stuff,” Montgomery stated. Going forward, it’s fantastic for the club. This kind of cooperation is something the club, the supporters, the players, and me as the manager are all particularly excited about. It was discussed when I started the job. The fact that everything has sort of calmed over the last few weeks is a wonderful thing. My attention has been on the football pitch, and while that doesn’t alter daily, things are looking up.
Luke Amos, a midfielder for Hibs, sustained an injury against Dundee and will be out for several weeks. Josh Campbell is returned to light training but is unlikely to play for the first team until late March at the earliest.
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