Hibs ace in defiant Europa League rallying cry as Aussie vows: 'We won't fall at first hurdle.'
Midtjylland contest balanced at 1-1 heading into second leg clash
After everything they went through just to reach this point, dragging their broken and weary frames from the pits of despair to the brink of greatness, there is no way these Hibs players will settle for second best. Having risen from the relegation zone to earn their shot at the Europa League via a remarkable third-place finish in the Scottish Premiership, David Gray’s men are in no mood to take even a sideways step against seasoned campaigners Midtjylland.
“We didn't go through everything that we did last season just to get papped out on day one,” said Jack Iredale, looking ahead to tonight’s decisive Europa League second qualifying round second leg at Easter Road, the Aussie adding: “We want to continue this journey. We know it's a journey and I think there's so much more to come from us as well.
“We didn't do all that work from Christmas on, November onwards, just to trip at the first hurdle. We know we can't sit back against them.
“There will be times to soak pressure, but there will obviously be times where we have to show real bravery and real confidence. And when you look around the team, you'll see the quality that we've got all over the pitch as well. It's a good place to be.”
Record home crowd means a lot to players
Easter Road could be a very special location later this evening, with a dearth of away supporters meaning the club can already crow about a record home attendance – somewhere north of 18,500 Hibs fans – in the modern era. For players who wouldn’t have blamed punters for turning completely against the team during the darkest days of Gray’s first season as gaffer, that definitely means something.
"Yeah, I can't wait,” said Iredale, looking forward to the decisive act in a tie balanced at 1-1 after last week’s draw in Denmark. “That's something that we've been speaking about in there as well. Just the mood around the club right now is so good and everyone's on a real high. We want to make sure we continue that.
“We wouldn't be able to get here without the fans supporting us. They stuck with us in real difficult times and now I feel like we're paying them back a little bit. Like I said, there's still so much more to go and they're going to play such a massive role tomorrow, so I can't wait for the atmosphere and playing under the lights.
“Even during the warm-up over there (in Denmark), me and a couple of the boys were talking about how good we felt because of the support that we had. That was only 1,000 fans in the corner of a stadium. So I cannot wait to see Easter Road tomorrow, a full stadium of Hibs supporters, and to see the kind of noise that they can generate for us.
“Because I'm still not even sure if the fans understand how much that helps us, even with our preparations and then certain stages of the game where you need that extra boost - and they're there for us. The away fans are incredible and like I said, I'm really excited to see the stadium tomorrow and hopefully deliver a really positive performance for them.”
Hibs have never reached the group or league stages of a UEFA competition. If you don’t think Gray will be mentioning that in his pre-match team talk tomorrow, well, you haven’t been paying attention.
This is a head coach who loves setting targets and incentives. A relatively inexperienced manager already demonstrating a knack for knowing how to inspire his team.
Iredale explained: "I think the goal setting and stuff that the gaffer does is really helpful. We obviously have our long-term targets that we set at the start of the season and then it's classic goal setting.
“You go through ways of being able to achieve that by setting your short-term goals. So he sets out what he expects from us per game. I think it helps massively.
“To be able to create history with this group, I think would be absolutely incredible. And it's something that I'm really hoping that we can do.
“Obviously we're going to need to find a winner from somewhere. But we've got quality in so many different areas of the pitch and I'm full of confidence at the minute for the boys.
“There's still always room for improvement and we've been working on that this week. But in terms of what we found out about them last week, we know they've got quality all over the pitch - and we know that we have to be very good to deal with that.
"They've been a Champions League team and done well in the Europa League. They've got quality players. You see some of their players, what they're valued at, similar to what we deal with here. We know they're a good team, but we know we're a good team as well.”
Norway or Serbia? Next Euro destination laid out
The stakes in this game are as clear as you could get so early in the European calendar. The winners will face Fredrikstad, of Norway, in the third qualifying round. The losers almost certainly head to Belgrade – barring a late comeback by Ukrainian side Oleksandriya, 2-0 down from the first leg at home – to face Partizan in the Conference League.
All going well, of course, someone is going to play the role of hero for Hibs tonight. By stepping up to make a big block at the right moment. Or banging in a goal to change everything.
Iredale, laughing when asked if he fancied a repeat of his PFA Scotland Goal of the Season winner against Hearts last season, said: "Oh, a volley from 30 yards? I'll see what I can do. I wouldn't hold your breath for that one.”
While everyone at Hibs is focused on the immediate prize, Iredale knows that an extended European run would also increase his chances of further international recognition. He was called up for a Socceroos training camp in the summer, although he didn’t make the final cut as Tony Popovic’s men – including Lewis Miller and Martin Boyle – qualified for the World Cup in impressive style.
“I've said my whole career playing for my country is something right at the top of my goals list,” admitted the defender. “And that camp was definitely a step in the right direction.
“Definitely an eye-opener for what's expected at that level. But the whole staff on that national team was fantastic. They're still in regular contact with me, helping me improve and get to where they want me to be and where I want to be, because I'm desperate to play for Australia.
“It's one thing that I really want to do. Playing in a club as big as this, in competitions as big as this, it's only going to help.
“With how big the games have been for Australia recently, he (Popovic) needs to know that people can deal with that pressure. So being in environments like we were there last Thursday and then backing it up and delivering, you hope he’s watching.”