Hibs still hurting but Jack Ross backs players to show their resolve at Aberdeen
Jack Ross gifted his Hibs players time to lick their wounds in the aftermath of last weekend’s Scottish Cup exit and now he is backing them to channel their hurt into a resilient performance at Pittodrie.
Insisting that he needs to do little to motivate his squad as they head into another huge match, this time in the Premiership, he says simply doing what they have been doing would quickly lift the mood.
“Any defeat hurts players but the magnitude of losing a semi-final means it takes a little bit longer for that disappointment to disappear.
“In the early part of the week they were still sore so we left them, in terms of not really addressing it collectively. But they’re ready to go again.
“That’s just two defeats and one loss in extra time over the course of 16 league and cup games. That’s pretty good. If we can replicate that over the next period of games then we will be in a good position.”
Bouncing back from previous defeats by knocking in three goals and claiming three points, Ross expects more steely positivity.
“This group has shown their resolve when bouncing back from disappointing results. There obviously haven’t been that many but even within games, when they have suffered disappointment, by and large, their response has been good.
“When we initially went a goal behind in the semi final, and when we went 2-1 behind against Rangers, the players acquitted themselves well. They have shown a resolve, seeing out games away from home etc. That gives me the belief that they will respond in the right manner.”