Alan Stubbs hails Hibs' fringe performers after Alloa win

Alan Stubbs has stressed he always had faith in his fringe players after a much-changed Hibernian team secured another three points in their title bid.

Alan Stubbs made seven changes to the side that defeated Hearts. Picture: SNS

The head coach raised eyebrows after making seven changes for yesterday’s home clash against Alloa Athletic but Hibs managed to avoid any pratfalls – as Stubbs claimed he knew would be the case.

A double from Martin Boyle and one from Dan Carmichael, who scored his first goal for the club, saw Hibs prevail. Stubbs left top-scorer Jason Cummings on the bench along with Anthony Stokes.

“The most important thing was getting the three points,” said Stubbs. “But it makes it even sweeter when the lads who have come in make such a big contribution to the game.

“What that tells me is that what I’ve said all along is right. I’ve got a core of maybe 19 or 20 players who could all play in the starting 11. Normally, your first-team squad is of 13 or 14 players and the rest are there as squad players only.

“I didn’t have any problem making the changes. Some people would have looked and said: ‘Oh, seven changes, if they don’t get a result here…’ I never had that thought in my mind because I know the players, I know what they can do.”