Lewis Stevenson sees a Hibs side equipped to avoid a post-Christmas slump

Lewis Stevenson is adamant that Hibernian will not suffer the disastrous post-Christmas form that derailed the 2009/10 campaign, when a bright start to the season was undermined by several months of poor results.

The then manager John Hughes eventually paid with his job.

After four defeats in five league outings some fans have begun to fear a similar scenario this time, but a draw that was described by Stevenson as “a good point” against Kilmarnock on Sunday has helped stop the rot, and today’s home clash with Ross County gives Hibs the opportunity to start putting pressure on the teams above them again. It is one Stevenson says they intend to take.

“I know we have been saying that for the last few weeks, and it has not quite worked out like that,” he said, with reference to a run of games in which Hibs were heavily beaten by both Inverness Caldedonian Thistle and Dundee as well as losing at home to Motherwell after being two goals ahead. “We know it is going to be a hard game [against County]. They beat us up in Dingwall and so they should have nothing to fear, and neither should we. If we play like we did in spells [against Kilmarnock] we should be OK.

“A few seasons ago [under John Hughes] we had a good start to the season and then fell away after Christmas. This time we need to try and keep it going rather than fall away,” he added, although he believes Hibs are better equipped now to ward off such a sustained lapse in form. “It’s a smaller squad, but it is probably a stronger squad than we have had in years,” he said.

Stevenson recognised that Ross County, who lost 4-0 to Celtic on Saturday, will not be keen to return to Dingwall with nothing to show after another long journey, and particularly at a time of year when they will be separated from their loved ones. “They will be looking to Boxing Day as the chance to turn things around,” said Stevenson. “They will be staying in Edinburgh on Christmas night and they’ll be away from their families on Christmas Day, and they will feel they have plenty to prove.”

Derek Adams, the Ross County manager, believes his side are only two points shy of a total that he would have been “delighted” with in the first season after promotion. As it stands, they are on 18 points after an “excellent” start to their maiden season in the SPL, and a win at Easter Road today would help revive the campaign after a run of nine games without a win.

He denied his side are in any sort of slump. “We are not in a rut – we are in the Premier League,” he reminded reporters. “For a team like Ross County, it is something we have enjoyed. We have only been defeated seven times in 19 games, and I think that is terrific.”

For Adams, of course, today sees the return to a place where he worked for just over six months as an assistant to Colin Calderwood. He left again in May 2011 to return to Ross County as manager, having quickly learned that he preferred to be the one making the decisions.

“He is maybe a different character as an assistant than he is as manager, but we got on well and I wish him all the best,” recalled Stevenson. “I just hope we get one over him on Wednesday. Every manager and every coach has helped me in different ways.

“It is a big jumble of different managers that I have had, but he is a good guy and I wish him all the best,” added Stevenson, who has now worked under eight managers at Easter Road.

The latest, Pat Fenlon, will have had some decisions to ponder over Christmas Day, as he looks to freshen up his side again. The players trained on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day itself and Fenlon will decide whether to include Jorge Claros in the starting XI today, after leaving him out against Kilmarnock on Sunday. The manager detected some “tiredness” in the Honduran midfielder, who is also suffering after receiving a cut to his ear during the game against Dundee. “He had been taking a lot of tablets and we felt that has affected him,” he said.

Fenlon was delighted to see his side bounce back at Rugby Park after the 3-2 defeat by Motherwell, which was particularly hard to take considering the two-goal lead they held. He feared the worst when Hibs conceded an early goal on Sunday. However, Eoin Doyle’s equaliser helped the visitors re-group and they had a right to feel disappointed by not taking all three points, with referee Bobby Madden appearing to err in not awarding Hibs a penalty after Michael Nelson’s trip on Paul Cairney in the second half.

“If you get well beaten on the day you hold your hands up and then move on,” he said, as he reflected on the positive response to the Motherwell defeat, “but to play so well for a long period and then lose, it takes a bit of character to come back from it.”