Hibs boss Jack Ross blames punishing schedule of matches for disappointing result against St Mirren.

Jack Ross believes playing five matches in just 15 days had taken a toll on his players as they were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw with St Mirren at Easter Road.

Hibs head coach Jack Ross looks on anxiously as his side battle out a 2-2 draw against St Mirren at Easter Road. Pic: SNS

Hibs boss Jack Ross believes the Easter Road club’s gruelling schedule of matches lay behind them having to settle for a draw with St Mirren.

But Ross was full of praise for his players having watched them go behind to goals from Conor McCarthy and Tony Andreu within the opening 18 minutes. But Scott Allan and Christian Doidge -with his 15th goal of the season - hauled the capital outfit level before half-time.

Ross through on his three transfer deadline day signings, Paul McGinn, Greg Docherty and Marc McNulty in search of a winner which never came.

He said: “We have an expectation and ambition to win every game here and our home record in recent times has been encouraging.

“We came into the game wanting to win it but the way it starts for us, finding ourselves two goals behind there is an encouragement for fact the players showed that strength of character. Over the course of the game we did not play to the level we probably have done recently so to come back to get something from the game was pleasing.

“We are in the middle of a punishing schedule, this was our fifth game in 15 days. We have tried to freshen it a bit, to keep an energy but we were a little bit reactive. It happens. If it’s five, six or seven games in a row I can’t say it happens but it was one of those days when too many of us were looking off it.”