Hibs midfielder Kevin McBride battered and bruised but not beaten

KEVIN McBRIDE'S recent experiences probably embody Hibs' season, the midfielder having been left battered and bruised in much the same way the Easter Road outfit's recent results have taken a bit of a pounding.

An ankle injury, a groin problem and a head knock, which left him unaware of St Johnstone's late equaliser last weekend, have all made the past few weeks a period to forget.

But now restored to full health, McBride hopes to help resuscitate the Easter Road outfit's fortunes as they face possibly their biggest month of the season with a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Ross County, the third Edinburgh derby of the season and a visit from third-placed Dundee United to follow tomorrow's clash with Kilmarnock.

Four matches which could well define Hibs' season, one which was motoring along quite nicely for John Hughes' players in much the same way McBride's own campaign.

One of Hughes' first signings, joining from the manager's former club Falkirk over the summer, the 28-year-old made an instant impression at Easter Road where he was an ever-present until an ankle injury forced him onto the sidelines for six weeks.

McBride then suffered the ignominy of tweaking his groin after making a late appearance as a substitute at Ibrox before being forced out of the action against Saints with a touch of concussion.

Today, he said: "The last wee while has been difficult, I was getting over the ankle injury and went on against Rangers really just for a wee run around to get back into things only for my leg to go from under me and tweak my groin.

"Then last weekend I was caught by, I think, Kenny Deuchar and then into our goalkeeper Graham Stack. I think I was clattered in the face and was out for a second or two. I wanted to play on but the doc and physio decided it was time to come off."

McBride was still on his way to the dressing-room with substitute Merouane Zemmama waiting to take his place when Saints were awarded a late penalty, converted by Liam Craig, to cancel out Anthony Stokes' second-minute spot-kick.

The former Celtic and Motherwell star, however, was totally unaware, believing Hughes' players had ended a run of four matches without a win rather than that record being extended to five.

He said: "I didn't even know they'd got a penalty, I thought we'd won 1-0 until the doc told me they'd scored. It was very disappointing but, again, it was a touch of bad luck for us, me being off and us down to ten men at the time they scored.

"The previous week we'd also been unfortunate when Liam Miller was sent off, leaving us to play with ten men for an hour at Fir Park. Even so, we felt Motherwell didn't have too many chances and that we were going to hold out only to concede a late goal.

"St Johnstone's goal also came late in the game but I don't think we can really complain, we've been hitting teams with goals in the last few minutes of matches and now we've been on the receiving end, sometimes these things go for you, sometimes they don't."

Whatever the rights and wrongs – Miller's red card was later downgraded to a yellow by referee Euan Norris – events have conspired to leave Hibs trailing third-placed United by a point, justification McBride insisted for the stance taken by those within Easter Road who refused to be swept away by talk of splitting the Old Firm or even mounting a title challenge as Hughes' players found themselves only two points off second place.

He said: "We didn't go shooting our mouths off when everyone was talking about us having third place wrapped up. Never for one minute did we think that was the case and we didn't talk about splitting the Old Firm.

"We are still going for third place and we believe we can get it, but we also know it will be difficult. Dundee United have leap-frogged us, Motherwell are now just three points behind us and Hearts are catching them which shows how tight the league is.

"We enjoyed a long unbeaten run which lifted us up the table and prompted all that talk of second place and so on but now other teams are enjoying a wee spell of good results which proves there isn't too much between many of the teams."

And, although Killie lie in the bottom half of the table and have scored a mere three goals away from home in the SPL this season, McBride insisted he and his team-mates should be prepared for nothing less than another tough match.

He said: "Kilmarnock have done well since Jimmy Calderwood and Jimmy Nicholl were put in charge. Although they lost to Motherwell last weekend they'll be pretty confident and the fact they've found it hard to score goals away from home doesn't come into it.

"It's up to us not to think about what they can do but what we can do. We are the home team and the onus is on us to go and win it."

Tomorrow's match is, of course, the first since demolition work began on the East Terracing to make way for a new 6,400 capacity stand and, McBride admitted, it will be strange to play with one side of the ground, traditionally the most vocal, gone.

He said: "I think there will be a massive difference. I know from having played in front of that area as an opposition player and now as a Hibs player the atmosphere the fans in there created and the way they could influence decisions with the noise they made.

"But those fans will be packed in elsewhere in the ground, it's not as if we are going to lose them and we've got to give the supporters something to get them going to create a good atmosphere.

"After tomorrow we have the Cup game, the chance to get into the semi-finals, and then Hearts at Tynecastle followed by Dundee United here which, with us having slipped to fourth place, probably makes this period coming up one of the most important of the season.

"You could say each game in itself is a must-win match but, for the time being, we have to concentrate on picking up three points at home, something we haven't done in our last two matches at Easter Road. Do that, then we can approach the Cup game in a positive frame of mind."

In 13 away games in the SPL this season, Hibs' opponents tomorrow, Kilmarnock, have managed to notch just THREE goals.

Hibs should guard against complacency, however, as two of those goals have secured 1-0 victories, at St Johnstone on 5 December and Falkirk on 10 February.

Killie's long-suffering travelling fans have had just one other goal to celebrate this term – in a 3-1 defeat to Motherwell in August.