Brown sympathises with fed-up Hibbies but pleads with them to stay onside

If another match in quick succession would seem to be the last thing a side struggling for form needs, the Hibs goalkeeper was adamant that's exactly what is required.

Like most clubs, Hibs' season has been badly interrupted by the Arctic blast. And Brown admitted the uncertainty caused as fixtures came under threat had made life difficult with games against St Mirren and Hamilton postponed - the clash with Accies falling to the weather for a second time.

Colin Calderwood's squad had little time to dwell on Sunday's events, returning to training yesterday morning to ready themselves for the visit of United and, according to Brown, determined to ensure the kick-start their season so badly needs comes ahead of the New Year Day derby at Tynecastle.

The goalkeeper said: "It's been difficult, a bit stop-start. We've had to train indoors at the training ground and Ravenscraig, trying to play bounce games to keep things ticking along.

"Even last week we went to Kilmarnock, there was a pitch inspection and we did not know if it was going ahead. But the pitch at Easter Road was fine on Sunday and barring any really bad weather it should be on.

"So we won't have too long to dwell on the Aberdeen game, we were back in yesterday morning to prepare for it and I think we have to take the positives from the weekend's match but also look at the negatives and try to improve and get that win."

Brown would be the first to acknowledge that has become a well-worn observation, as Hibs have struggled to make any real impact on the SPL both under former manager John Hughes and now Calderwood, and admitted he and his team-mates can have little complaint at the rumbles of discontent they are hearing from their supporters.

He said: "You do feel for them (the fans], you have to sympathise because they are paying money to come and watch us every week. It's hard for everyone when they come expecting a performance.

"If they are not happy they are entitled to voice their anger, they shouldn't just come and say 'it's another defeat'. I think when we are playing they will get right behind us, their support was good during the game against Aberdeen but it was disappointing to hear them at the end."

No doubt those self-same supporters will be at Easter Road again for tomorrow's 7.15pm kick-off, perhaps in reduced numbers and probably more in hope than expectation but, Brown argued, this is the time for fans and players alike to stick together, captain Chris Hogg having been the latest target for the boo-boys after Colin Nish had suffered similarly.

While Hogg didn't enjoy his most impressive game in a green and white shirt, returning to start a match for the first time in two months, Brown insisted: "We have to rally around each other. Everyone has a bad spell during a season, there is no-one who goes the full 38 games without making a couple of mistakes.

"When we see someone is having a poor game you have to rally round and help them, to stick together as a squad and try not to let the results affect us too much."

While Hogg suffered, Brown enjoyed, despite the final result, an impressive afternoon, the former Rangers, Inverness Caley, Motherwell, Celtic and Kilmarnock goalkeeper pulling off two stunning saves within the space of a few seconds to keep Hibs level after Derek Riordan had cancelled out Yoann Folly's opener.

Having acrobatically thrown himself high to his left to touch away a netbound Paul Hartley free-kick, the 29-year-old somehow managed to beat away substitute Josh Magennis' point-blank header, his best stop of the game in his own estimation. It was, though, scant consolation given the final outcome, a tenth defeat in 17 matches for Hibs.

Brown said: "It was basically a reaction save, the guy was only five or six yards out. You work on that sort of thing in training every day, you don't often get one but that's when the hard work pays off.

"I was quite happy with my performance but that's no consolation considering we didn't get any points."

If, as Calderwood claimed, that self-belief has been understandably dented by the events of the past few months, Brown also reckons luck has all but deserted Hibs at present, although he insisted that was no excuse for a string of poor results.

He said: "I don't think we are carrying much luck. Look at what happened towards the end of the game, Ian Murray has a shot which looks as if it is going in but one of their guys manages to get back and take it off the line and then the same thing happened with his header from the corner which followed. When your luck is in these are the sort of chances that go for you but at the moment we are struggling at the wrong end of the table.

"It's hard, but we cannot make excuses. We are down there for a reason. It's just a case of getting on at training, working as hard as we can and trying to turn it around."

Proving harder to beat by making it more difficult for the opposition to score is one obvious factor which would undoubtedly improve Hibs' fortunes as Calderwood himself has observed, but Brown insisted responsibility for doing so fell on the shoulders of every single player.

He said: "You just can't look at the defence, we have to defend from the front, harrying the opposition defenders when they have the ball and not giving them easy possession in their half.

"As a team we have to defend better. We did have chances against Aberdeen and should have scored a second goal but there are things all over the pitch we want to improve.

"I actually thought we played well in parts of the game against Aberdeen. I felt we knocked the ball around well and probably looked the better team for long spells.

"But at the end of the day it's results that matter."