FOR most clubs returning to the top flight after a lengthy spell in the second tier, consolidation is the ultimate objective.
But supporters of Hibernian have, due to the capital club’s impressive form in their Ladbrokes Premiership matches to date, slightly loftier ambitions this term. The possibility of the Easter Road club finishing second, never mind securing a top six place or even a European spot, is being talked about down Leith way these days.
Neil Lennon, whose side can draw level with Rangers on points in the league table if they defeat their Ibrox rivals in front of a sell-out 20,000 crowd at home this evening, is not, as you would imagine, deterred by the expectations of his side. He relishes the challenge of meeting them and believes his players should too.
He will send his team, a late Mikael Lustig goalline clearance away from ending Celtic’s record-breaking 67 game unbeaten run on Sunday, to beat their opponents for the second time this season tonight and move alongside them.
“I am not saying we will finish second,” he said. “But psychologically it would be good to just win the game, play well. I think it is a big three points for both teams.
“Since the cup final, the feel-good factor around the place has been huge. That was carried on by winning the Championship and having a very good start to the Premiership season. I think the fans are enjoying what they are seeing.
“There’s a good connection between the players and the fans. I’m delighted we’ve got another sell-out coming up against a club the size of Rangers.
Read more: Graeme Murty: Hibernian will be more 'intense' against Rangers than they were in draw with Celtic
“That increased expectation doesn’t bring any problems for me. We must be doing something right if the fans expectations are rising and we have to enjoy that and rise to the challenge.”
Lennon and his players certainly did that on the last occasion they met Rangers in a bad-tempered encounter at Ibrox back in August. Aided by the ludicrous red carding of Ryan Jack – a decision which was subsequently overturned on appeal – they won 3-2.
Lennon believes that ill-feeling from the 2016 Scottish Cup final still lingers between the Edinburgh and Glasgow clubs both on and off the park and is expecting tonight’s meeting between the two clubs to be another lively encounter.
However, he is confident that his side, who could be without Marvin Bartley and Steven Whittaker if the pair fail to recover from the knocks which they picked up at the weekend, will be able to cope if tempers flare in the live televised match.
“We had a great win at Ibrox,” he said. “We had to play really well at times there. We are going to have to play well.
Read more: Reaction after win over Aberdeen gave Graeme Murty an insight into Rangers' mentality
“They have changed their system a couple of times this season so it will be interesting to see what way he (caretaker manager Graeme Murty) sets out tomorrow. But it is Rangers so it is a team you have to give plenty of respect to. They have got players who can score goals and hurt you.
“They are always feisty affairs. There is a bit of residue from the cup final, from 2016, between the fans and some of the players who are still here. We won’t be going out there to be overly-aggressive. That is not our style, but if it gets physical then we can be physical. As long as the players do it within the laws of the game.
“The boys are all champing at the bit. These are the games you want to play in. They look after themselves of me needing to motivate them. Under the lights with a full house they get an energy. It lifts them again.”
Lennon was pleased to see Oliver Shaw, his promising 19-year-old forward, score a late equaliser against Celtic after coming off the bench on Sunday and is hopeful the youngster can add to his tally in the coming weeks.
“Oli’s done absolutely brilliantly,” he said. “I’ve been really pleased with his development and the way his game - his movement, his touch, his play with his back to goal - has come on in the last two or three months.
“He has always scored goals, which is the most important thing, but his all-round game is very good at the moment. There is no question that he is right in my mind for the upcoming games. He’s made a terrific start to his career.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here