Rival boss makes 'dangerous' Hibs admission as Critchley makes 'clear' Hearts impact inside 3 games

Hibs and Hearts battled it out in the Edinburgh derby at the weekend.

Now, both teams are gearing up for games in midweek with the Jambos hosting Kilmarnock and Hibs travelling to Ross County. In the news today, A pundit has handed praise to Hearts boss Neil Critchley, despite his earlier comments - meanwhile, Ross County’s manager has spoken ahead of their game against Hibs on Wednesday.

Cowie talks up Hibs

County head coach Don Cowie spoke ahead of their game against Hibs in midweek - despite a slow start to the season for the Hibees, Cowie will not underestimate the Edinburgh outfit. He noted that Hibs have ‘very good individuals’ and are a ‘dangerous’ team.

Speaking in a press conference, Cowie said: “That’s a key thing, consistency – not just in the performances but in our results. The challenge now is to win two games back to back and get six points in four days at home.

“It will be difficult, because Hibs have got very good individuals. For whatever reason, it hasn’t quite materialised for them, but they are dangerous and we need to be ready for that.

“Our home form has been decent and it gives us that platform and base to work from to get points, but we can’t always rely on that. We have to add to it on the road, and we’re striving to do that. But when we do play at home, it’s about being consistent and following up those strong performance levels we have shown.”

Michael Stewart on Critchley’s positive start at Hearts

Former Jambos man Michael Stewart was critical of Neil Critchley’s appointment upon the official announcement of his hiring. Nevertheless, he seems happy to have been proven wrong. He mentioned how much more ‘comfortable’ Hearts look under the stewardship of the former Blackpool manager, but he thinks they still lack ‘penetration’.

When grilled over Critchley’s start to life at Hearts on the The Scottish Football Social Club, Stewart said: “Oh, massive. I mean, it could have been better, he could have won nine points!

“He [got] an opportunity and the only way he was able to turn the perception [of himself] around is by getting results. He said that himself, he recognised that. He’s not a fancy name, but he has the belief in himself.

“Look, it was a very good performance against a poor St. Mirren last week, a good performance midweek against a side that I was disappointed in, I thought Omonia were pretty poor. But again, you can only play against what is put in front of you.

“The thing that is so clear is that this is a team that is so much more comfortable in their setup and they look like they’ve been drilled in a way that they know what they’re meant to be doing - up until the final third.”