Newell: We Need To Stick Together

Captain Joe Newell said he was proud of ten-man Hibernian in the wake of Sunday’s slender 2-1 defeat to Celtic - but  says the Hibees’ discipline must improve in our final three William Hill Premiership games.

Hibernian were edged 2-1 at Easter Road on Sunday in what was a frustrating afternoon, with substitute Kelechi Iheanacho’s late strike proving decisive in spite of our No11's leveller.

Despite being reduced to ten men when Jamie McGrath was sent off on 21 minutes, Newell and his teammates frustrated Celtic and restricted them to very few clear-cut chances.

In the end however, it was another difficult afternoon for the Hibees, and Newell cut a frustrated figure in his post-match interview with Hibs TV.

He said: “It's been the same story for the last few weeks, which is obviously the most frustrating thing.

“You keep saying the same things and repeating the same quotes, but you give yourself so much to do in the game.

“You work on everything in the week, you plan for how you settle defensively and offensively, and obviously it just changes quite early on again.

“But again, you can't fault the effort or the application of the guys. It was a real good effort.

“I think the frustrating thing is the set-piece, how we conceded. You kind of restrict them to shots from a distance, and I thought we got in at half-time, tweaked a few things and made a few changes, and I actually felt solid out there. I didn't feel like we were getting peppered with that much.

“I felt we restricted them to shots from a distance and stuff, so to concede from a set-piece, that's kind of the frustrating thing.

“That [character] is a given. That's to be expected from everyone, and knowing the group and playing for this Club, that's standard. But it's happened again, and that's the real message.

“It can't keep happening. It's something that's happened far too many times now in quick succession at a crucial stage of the season.

“We need to remain calm and have discipline, as we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Meanwhile, on a personal note, Newell was delighted all his hard work behind the scenes paid off on the pitch.

The midfielder was handed just his second Premiership start of the season against Martin O’Neill’s side and returned to the scoresheet.

“Maybe I'll reflect and feel a bit happier than what I do now because we wanted to win the game,” admitted Newell.

“We've got our goals and our targets, and unfortunately, we fell short today.

“I'm happy to be out there. I love every minute of playing for this football Club, so on that level, it's nice.”

Newell has also urged the players, staff and fans to stick together and bounce back in next weekend’s fixture at Falkirk, which could be pivotal if we’re to achieve European football next season.

He added: “Falkirk's a huge game now. We've been there this season already and got beat. They're a good side.

“They've had a very good season. It's a cliché, but it's back on the training ground as quickly as possible and stick together.

“We need to work on a few things for sure, but it's a massive game next weekend. 

“I know the fans will travel in numbers. They'll be right behind us, as they always will be, but we need to give them something to cheer about because it's a huge game.

“If we want to get to where we need to be at the end of the season, it could be crucial.”