Pat on the back for Hibs fans

Fenlon and his charges emerged on to the pitch to salute the Hibs support that travelled to Fir Park for Friday’s abandoned match against Motherwell, a show of appreciation that he hopes can strengthen the relationship between his playing squad and those in the stands.

Fenlon, pictured left, believes fostering a healthy understanding with fans can only help propel the club forward.

“I think that’s very important. I said when I joined that if the club is to move forward and we are to get out of the position we’re in, we’ve all got to be together. We had tremendous support,” Fenlon told Hibs TV.

Previous manager Colin Calderwood attempted to establish a rapport between players and fans, with the Hibs team victorious at Motherwell in the League Cup earlier this season performing a bow in front of the visiting support. Irishman Fenlon was pleased to begin his Hibs career by establishing a feelgood factor among the club’s fans in a similar fashion.

“I’m pleased with that and pleased with the performance,” he said. “I’m disappointed for the players – they’ve taken a little bit of flak over the last while and on Friday night they put in a real good performance and a real hard shift.”

Hibs’ fourth meeting of the season with Celtic will be played 24 hours later than originally scheduled, on Sunday, February 19 at 3pm.

The fixture, to be shown live on Sky television, will signal the third time the Hoops have visited Easter Road this season having beaten Hibs twice already, with a 2-0 win on the opening day of the SPL before a 4-1 League Cup success in October.