'We're still in a better place' - Hibs star sees improvement despite derby heartache

Nick Montgomery's men head into Motherwell clash in need of points

Pointing to a brighter future - David Marshall is confident in Hibs' ability to bounce back.

Preaching perspective in the wake of a derby defeat is a tough furrow to plough. You’d be better off asking for common sense from a toddler hyped up on sugar and Christmas toys.

As Hibs hit the halfway point of their 38-game Scottish Premiership campaign, however, it’s not unreasonable to expect a little understanding of the bigger picture. And an acknowledgement of just how desperate things were not so very long ago.

“It’s hard just now because we’ve just lost a derby and it’s all very raw,” admitted veteran goalie David Marshall, the former Scotland No. 1 adding: “But we have to look at where we were when the manager came in – and where we are now.

“We’re in a better place. I totally believe that. And it’s the halfway point of a season where we lost our first nine points, which left us chasing it. But I think everyone can see we’re heading in the right direction.”

There being no such thing as a unanimous verdict among football fans, Marshall is probably being optimistic in expecting absolutely everybody to agree on the course being taken. Even if there are facts to back up his assertion that new boss Nick Montgomery has turned things around.

If it’s hardly a large sample size, Lee Johnson losing the first three league games of the season had Hibs stuck on zero points. After caretaker David Gray bagged a 2-0 win at Aberdeen in his one game at the helm, Monty was always going to improve on his predecessor’s return.

In his 15 league games as gaffer, Montgomery’s record reads Won 5, Drawn 6, Lost 4. Hibs have picked up 21 points since Match Day One of the new manager’s reign, which works out at about 1.4 points per game.

Without getting into all the calculations involved, the team finishing third – still then nominal goal for Hibs, despite the current gap – over the past five full seasons has, on average, finished with a smidgen over 63 points. A quick bit of arithmetic shows you that Hibs will need to pick up at least two points per game to be in contention for that Best of the Rest title. And that means turning draws into wins. While also avoiding the sort of narrow losses that have become a trend of late.

Marshall, speaking in the aftermath of being beaten by Lawrence Shankland’s injury-time winner for Hearts, acknowledged: “We lost 1-0 to St Johnstone, the same in the semi-final against Aberdeen, as well. I think we have to look at the bigger picture. This is the first time the manager has lost at home, since he came in. And I think everyone can see the steps we’ve taken.

“We’ve also dropped a couple of points from being 2-0 up in games, so there is lots of room for improvement. The manager came in mid-season, he’s not had a transfer window yet, so there are a lot of things we can look at.

“But there is still a lot in that dressing room. I still feel we can have a successful season. I think the way we play; the manager has brought a consistency. We’re not chopping and changing.

“I think we’re creating chances in the majority of games, although we’ve had a few where that hasn’t happened. The games we’ve lost – Hearts, the semi-final against Aberdeen – you obviously can’t lose, can’t keep losing. But there is a way of losing games.

“And it will turn. It will turn. We went on a fantastic run when the manager came in. We’ve had a couple of setbacks now, which was always going to happen over the course of the season. But if we keep believing in what we’re doing, I think we’ll hit that sort of form again.

“Obviously it’s a hard one to take when you lose the derby, especially when the goal comes so late. I don’t know how it looked but I felt we played relatively well. I don’t think we deserved to lose the game. But it’s football. That’s the way it goes. The ball has ricocheted around, it’s fallen to him (Shankland) – and it’s a good finish, to be fair to him.

“Aye, you know he’s a very good finisher, so you try to limit his service and limit his chances. I thought we did that. He had one half chance in the second half, which he hit straight at me. And obviously the penalty.

“But overall I think we played relatively well – without creating any massive clear-cut chances ourselves. Obviously, Dylan Vente had one where Zander saved to his right. And Zander saved the penalty, too.

“Overall, we should be relatively happy with the performance – but gutted with the result. Regardless of the run we were on, the unbeaten run when the manager came in, there is enough in the squad to be successful and be consistent.

“But looking at the transfer window, it’ll be surprising if there aren’t ins and outs. That’s probably the same as every other club – but we need to get back to winning ways. We’ve got a chance to do that against Motherwell and go into the break on a high.”