St Mirren v Hibernian: Calderwood tells Hibs to bounce back and prove doubters wrong

Hibs went into last Saturday’s Easter Road game having lost only once in six matches, a 1-0 defeat by Rangers. But they were outplayed by the Lanarkshire side and were fortunate to only lose by a solitary Jamie Murphy goal.

Calderwood, whose team visit St Mirren today, has urged his players to share his belief that they will turn around their form as the former Nottingham Forest manager enters his second year in the post. “I have got a group I believe in,” said Calderwood. “I’m determined they will prove everyone wrong and get the results and the points and get everyone onside in the long term. That’s what makes me not worry too much. I like what I see and I have got to make sure we get a productive outcome when it comes to league matches.”

Calderwood has told his players to forget about their poor first-half display and focus on the Paisley encounter.

“That happens, there’s no use worrying about it now,” he said. “We have got to address it next week and get into it. It’s around the corner for every team – they’ll have a bad half and suffer because of it. It’s our fault and we bear the consequences. But we have got to get ourselves motivated and focus on St Mirren. You don’t want it but it has happened.

“We won’t analyse too much what went on, we might as well wish it away because there’s nothing good to take from it.”

The former Scotland defender, whose side sit one point above bottom club Inverness, added: “We have got to get into the mental side of it and make sure they are not thinking negatively.

“Whether they are confident or not doesn’t matter, what matters is they are thinking about a positive outcome and a positive input, their concentration levels and awareness of the right things to do at the right time in the right area. That’s really what we have focused on, and we make sure they know that crunch time is Saturday at three o’clock.

“This Saturday is production time. We make sure we know the jobs, we make sure we know what their strengths are, we make sure we are forceful and on the front foot.”

Meanwhile, St Mirren manager Danny Lennon has challenged his players to use their Ibrox performance as their benchmark after further vindication of the benefits of their new style.

St Mirren dominated possession against Rangers last weekend and denied their hosts a tenth successive Clydesdale Bank Premier League win when former Ibrox hero Steven Thompson netted an injury-time equaliser.

Lennon is demanding the same passing game and the same belief against Hibs. He said: “Over the first quarter there have only been two performances where we have been well below par and lost our identity, against Inverness definitely and questionably against Hearts.

“But every other game we have gone with the same belief and playing our style of football, and getting the ball down. To go to such a wonderful arena [as Ibrox] and control the vast majority of the game was particularly pleasing, and that can only boost the confidence the boys already have.

“They have taken that to another level there, but anything below that is not acceptable.”

The 1-1 draw at Ibrox followed St Mirren’s worst performance of the season in defeat at Inverness and Lennon hopes the contrast reinforces the players’ belief that playing their passing game provides results.

Lennon highlighted the pass with the outside of the boot that goalkeeper Craig Samson played to Jeroen Tesselaar when under pressure in the early part of the sweeping move that led to Thompson’s last-gasp leveller.

The former Cowdenbeath manager said: “When we do lose our identity we become inefficient and very ordinary. Last week they answered all that and they believe from the first minute to the last, that’s the way to play.

“If Samson just kicks that ball in the final seconds, we’re probably not scoring. It’s a very, very good ball, it’s a risk ball, but that’s risks we are willing to take at this club.

“That’s not just a one-off or luck that Samson found Tess with the ball.

“He works on it on a daily basis. We don’t allow our goalkeepers to kick the ball or throw the ball over head height at training. Everything has to be done quickly and he has done fantastic.”

Hibs have only won two SPL games this season but Lennon is wary of the dangers posed by the Edinburgh side. He said: “They have got good threat up top with [Junior] Agogo and Garry O’Connor, who is the leading goalscorer in Scotland with ten goals, but we had a positive result against Hibs on the road this season and won 1-0 in the same fixture last season.

“We can only control so much of what Hibs are going to fling at us but we can certainly control what we contribute.”