Hibs have enjoyed the good fortune that has eluded Hearts, says Michael Stewart

Published on Monday 2 November 2009 22:00

HIBERNIAN have good fortune to thank in part for their present elevated league position, according to Michael Stewart. By the same token, the Hearts captain believes his own team have bad luck to blame for some of their own poor results, which have left them languishing six league places and 11 points behind their rivals.

Stewart, who hopes to be fit for Saturday's Edinburgh derby after missing his team's defeat by Motherwell at the weekend because of an ankle injury, acknowledged yesterday that Hibs had been playing well, and that the Hearts squad was suffering from a lack of experience. He insisted, however, that the two teams would not be so elated or dejected as outsiders might infer from their results to date.

"Obviously, they are doing very well," Stewart said of Hibs. "At the moment they're sitting second in the league.

"I wouldn't say I'm surprised. They've obviously had a good run. In this sport, if you build up momentum, the confidence flows and obviously everything seems possible – that has happened for Hibs.

"I've not seen any of their games, so it's difficult for me to say how they've gone. But I'm pretty sure that in a number of the games they've maybe had a slice of luck here or there to continue a run like that. When that has happened, they have been able to capitalise. The flip side for us is that we've maybe fallen on the wrong side of a bit of luck here and there (and] lost late goals. And when we've maybe had a slice of luck we've not been able to capitalise.

"All of a sudden, these wee things that I'm speaking about become form and they affect people's mentality. When the confidence is high everything is achievable. When the confidence is low people start wondering, 'Christ, where are we going to get a point from?' That's when you need to be mentally strong and realise the lows are never as low as what people from the outside think and you don't get too carried away when the highs are high either.

"You've got to try and keep a sort of level mind. Hibs have done extremely well to pick up so many points already, but we've got to keep level-headed and make sure that we go into the game not too despondent from what has happened in the previous ten games for us."

Those ten games have yielded only two wins for Hearts, who look badly in need of new blood. However, Stewart believes that inexperience cannot be used as an excuse, and that it will not inevitably stop his team from embarking on a better run.

"There is a definite lack of experience to the team. I think when things aren't going great is when it really counts.

"But when things are falling into place and people are performing well, it doesn't matter whether you are 12-year-old or 34, things just work. When things are not going smoothly, you look upon not just your experienced players but your good players to help drag the team out. At the moment, it's not going to plan for us.

"The onus is on us now to pull our socks up and make sure we start doing a wee bit better than we are. As a team we have standards, and we need to make sure we deliver the points for each other and the manager and start moving the team further up the league." Stewart hopes to resume training today or tomorrow, having missed out on the Motherwell match because his already injured ankle became swollen after the midweek Co-operative Insurance Cup win at Celtic.

Hibs skipper Chris Hogg, meanwhile, insisted he and his team-mates would not allow themselves to become complacent just because of their good start to the season. "It's important we don't get carried away," the centre-back said.

"We've improved the last few games in the right manner and will try to replicate that on Saturday. We're not in danger of losing focus on how hard it will be to win at Tynecastle. It's an important game for us to show where we've come, to show we can cope with the occasion."

The two captains were speaking at a media conference to promote Erskine and Poppyscotland, the ex-Service charities. Local soldiers who support Hearts and Hibs will attend the match and be welcomed on to the pitch at half-time.