Jack Ross is well aware of how big Hibs v Aberdeen is on Saturday afternoon – but he doesn’t see it as a season-defining encounter.
The Hibees face the Dons for the third time this term at Easter Road over the weekend in a huge match as both teams battle for third and possibly push for second. A win for Ross’ men would move them five points clear of Derek McInnes’ side.
But with 10 games to go after Saturday, he doesn’t think it’ll cement who finishes above the other: “If this fixture was a couple of games away from the end of the season I’d accept that’s the case but there’s a number of fixtures after it.
“But it’s an important match, a big match in the context of where we are trying to finish. It’s a game against a team we have swapped places with all season so I’m not downplaying the importance of the match. But given the amount of games pre and post-split, the consequences of a result either way aren’t season-defining.”
Ryan Porteous and Kevin Nisbet are poised to appear again after helping Hibs to a 2-1 win over St Mirren midweek. This came after both were subject to seven figure bids from the English Championship as the transfer window came to a close.
Ross says they are in a good frame of mind: “They have been good. The pleasing thing for me is that they can handle it and they showed that midweek as they had an influence on us winning the match. Their attitude, how keen they were to help us win, was evident.
“I never doubted that but it’s nice for other people to see first-hand they are in the right place. There’s a lot for them to play for over the rest of the season.”
Ahead of this game, managerial pressure has been a talking point. Alex Dyer walked away from Kilmarnock last weekend after a poor run of results while Derek McInnes in the Aberdeen dugout has also come in for criticism after a frustrating string of results.
But the pressure of management is something Ross enjoys: “I don’t think you do the job if you aren’t capable of dealing with it and accepting it’s part of the job. The only people who can understand are people who walk in my shoes up and down the country.
“It’s part of what you get from it. You need to find a way to perform under pressure and producing your best, accepting you are going to get things wrong. I have lived with it a long time and I must like it otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it, although I question my sanity sometimes!”
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