Hibs boss warns players to focus on Motherwell

HIBS manager Pat Fenlon today warned his players to forget Hampden and focus all their attention on tomorrow’s SPL clash with Motherwell.

The Easter Road side play host to Stuart McCall’s men tomorrow in a crucial match before taking on Aberdeen in their William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final next weekend. Fenlon knows victory over the Steelmen could see the Hibees open up a nine-point gap on bottom club Dunfermline should Capital rivals Hearts do them a favour when they take on the Pars at East End Park this afternoon.

And, while Hibs’ players and supporters alike would love nothing more than to make it through to the Cup final in May, Fenlon has ordered his troops to concentrate on claiming three vital points tomorrow. He said: “To me, tomorrow is a much bigger game than next week. The three points tomorrow are massive for us at this stage of the season and it’s really important that we get the win.

“Whatever happens the following week will happen.

“We must make sure that we focus on Motherwell, the league is the really important thing here. “If we can get to the cup final it will be a massive plus for everyone involved with the club in every way – financially and for the players and supporters – but making sure we pick up league points is really where it’s at for us right now.”

Fenlon revealed the Hibs squad have been in buoyant mood this week after their morale-boosting victory over Inverness last weekend and is keen for his players to build on that tomorrow, adding: “The results last weekend went our way so it has been a bit chirpier this week and we have had everyone training. It has been a good week. What you have got to take out of last weekend is belief.

We know the players can perform to those levels, it is just a case of trying to get them to build on that and play like that for longer periods of a game to give us a better chance of winning them.”