Hibs moved ahead of Hearts in the league standings thanks to victory over Livingston on Saturday but Paul Hanlon has been around long enough to know that it is far too early in the season to get carried away.After surviving a few penalty calls, including a potential Hanlon handball late in the game, and winning 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal by Martin Boyle, the players and spectators celebrated wildly when the final whistle blew. Hanlon clarified, “I haven’t seen it again, but something hits my face.” “At the end of the day, we can thank a good offside trap because I think the ball hit my face and then a bit of my hand, but I’m not sure where my hand was, so it’s hard to tell if it was a penalty.”
Referee Grant Irvine, who was invited to review the play using VAR, determined that Livingston had veered offside during the build-up, overturning any further penalty shouts. However, Hanlon acknowledged that the late hour of the day had been an unbearable wait. Naturally, he admitted, “it’s nerve-wracking, especially at that point in the game.” We were all a little nervous, but all you can do is hope and pray that the verdict goes in your favor. The referee pulled the two captains apart and said he needed to walk over to the screen to investigate what appeared to be an offside and a handball. I was happy that he ultimately ended up offside.
It’s an indication of how Hibs are changing, enduring moments of Livingston superiority and enduring a tense ending. They might have had to settle for a draw and give up their winning position a few months or even weeks ago, but they managed to hold off a Livingston squad that was battling for its life. Hanlon went on, “I think so we’ve had our fair share of bad luck with VAR so maybe we deserved that one.” It involves a variety of factors, including as upholding our moral standards and having faith in our work. Although we strive to play out of the back as much as possible, there are situations when you just have to clear the ball because of the difficult conditions on Saturday. It all comes down to making the correct decisions when they are needed, and on Saturday we made some excellent ones. When it was on, we were selectively selecting players and looking for those who were in the offensive zones.
We all want to play the way the gaffer does; all we need to do is trust him and stay in sync with him. Naturally, our loss to Celtic may have damaged our confidence, but I doubt you noticed anything similar versus Livingston. Now, it’s about uniting and pursuing the goals that we are all attempting to achieve.
Hanlon is aware of the impact their four straight victories will have on the supporters, but he insists there’s no need for the players to get overly dramatic. They have surpassed derby rivals Hearts. “We want to position ourselves as well as possible ahead of the break, which is what we are currently looking forward to,” he continued. “This one will be very beneficial.”
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