BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
Falkirk boss Peter Houston reckons talk of a crisis at Hibernian is premature following the capital club’s week from hell.
Hibs crashed to a 3-0 home defeat against Morton last Wednesday before another miserable defensive display saw them succumb to a 3-2 reverse at Dumbarton. And their title hopes were buried on Tuesday night when they lost 1-0 against Queen of the South.
The nightmare run saw Alan Stubbs’ men lose as many Championship games in the space of six days as Falkirk have all season.
Nevertheless, Houston is not among those questioning Hibs’ quality or ‘bottle’ and fully expects a backlash during a fraught race for second spot, insisting there are plenty of twists and turns to come.
Ahead of tomorrow’s derby clash against Alloa, Houston said: “Hibs have had a fantastic season and a lot of people are very quick to forget about that.
“They have had a bad week, no doubt, but they are in the Scottish Cup quarter-final, the League Cup final and second in the league. You can’t ask for a great deal more than that.
“Reading between the lines, they have enjoyed the majority of possession in the games they have lost and sometimes you endure runs when things just go against you. It happens, but we are not fooled by the defeats. They will be back winning soon.
“If they had been able to get the first goal in any of those games it would have probably been a different story.
“But they have a big squad and a lot of very good players – a they will certainly win more games than they lose.”
Nevertheless, Falkirk have a golden opportunity to pile the pressure on the Hibees in the next fortnight, with three league fixtures to play before their promotion rivals next take to the field in Championship action.
Consistency
If the Bairns register wins over Alloa, Dumbarton and Rangers then they are guaranteed to boast an eight point lead over Hibs heading into the business end of the campaign.
Houston continued: “People ask me if we are punching above our weight. Maybe we are. I think most onlookers expected a two-horse race at the top of the table, so my players deserve a massive amount of credit.
“Our consistency levels have been terrific and it is fair to say we have fared better than even I expected at the start of the season.
“We have a big opportunity in the coming games, but I would never disrespect he likes of Alloa and Dumbarton by assuming we will win those matches and we know what a test Rangers will be.”
