Hibs boss Jack Ross reveals how players overcame families' Covid concerns to earn draw at Celtic

Hibs manager Jack Ross acknowledged that it was not the first time Scottsh football had been thrown into chaos by a positive covid test but he said that circumstances meant that this was the first time the Leith club had been forced to deal with the concerns of players’ families.

Hibs manager Jack Ross watches his side settle for a draw against a makeshift Celtic side. Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group

“To be clear, I understand that games have gone on with positive tests,” said the Easter Road boss, after his team had bounced back from a late Davd Turnbull free-kick to level in stoppage time. “But this was the first occasion when players’ families had expressed some anxiety. That’s due to the prevalence and speed of transmission at the moment.

“Players are fairly robust but they will take on board what their loved ones say. There is not one single player who stepped off the bus feeling anxious about playing, though.”

Ross did admit that the build up had been strange.

“From tea-time [Sunday] to pretty much before kick-off, it’s been full-on. It’s not something I would like to repeat in terms of conversations and potential scenarios playing out. It would be nice to be just a football manager again.

“I don’t know if I would say it was frustration but the club were looking to be as responsible employers as they could be.”

The club had asked for the Celtic players who would be playing to undergo additional testing but their request was rejected. Ross said that was disappointing but had no impact on his team’s performance.

“Those in charge of the medical aspect, after we had it explained, said it wouldn’t make any difference. But we have a right to look after our players and staff. Current circumstances make people more anxious.

“It didn’t affect our preparations. We just faced a different team to what we’ve prepared for.”

And, after three defeats, the draw was a way of stopping the rot.

“We wanted to come and win the game. We were frustrated at the time of the Celtic goal because I didn’t think we deserved to lose the game. We merited something so that anger was tempered in the end.

“The two recent games have been sore for us, and painful because they’ve not been a reflection of how we’ve performed this season but this stops the bleeding a bit in that respect.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.