BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
Falkirk star Tom Taiwo has piled the pressure on misfiring Hibernian ahead of tonight’s Championship clash by insisting his former club must claim all three points in the race for second spot.
The Bairns roared six points clear of Alan Stubbs’ side on Saturday, notching a dramatic 3-2 win over St Mirren while Hibs were succumbing to a dismal defeat at Alloa.
With Falkirk also boasting a superior goal difference of eight, even Hibs’ two games in hand – one of which is against Rangers – are now unlikely to be enough to overhaul Peter Houston’s men.
It means the onus is all on Hibs to secure a pivotal triumph in front of an expectant home crown tonight.
And, despite having plenty of positive things to say about his two years at Easter Road, the former Chelsea kid knows how heavy the weight of expectation can be in Leith when things are going wrong.
Taiwo said: “I can’t wait to go back there. I played many games under the floodlights there, it’s a great club and a great stadium. But when you play for Hibs, especially at home, there is always pressure to win every week. You feel that.
“The pressure will all be on them. We could go there and get a draw and that would be a great result for us. That’s not the case for Hibs.
“We definitely won’t be playing for a draw. We set up in every game looking for three points, but the situation might play into our hands where they need to come out and attack us and we can hit on the break.
“It’s in our own hands now, and that is what we have been striving to do. If we get second place we want it to be because of our good performances, not because we relied on other teams falling away.
“We can look ahead to the final three games knowing that if we do the job and stick to our gameplay then we’ll get that second spot.”
Taiwo experienced occasional highs and crushing lows with the Hibees, representing the club in the 2013 Scottish Cup final and in Europe – but also being part of the side which slipped to relegation 12 months later.
Albeit he was injured for Hibs’ ill-fated playoff defeat against Hamilton, it remains a galling memory and he is determined to enjoy the flip-side of the playoffs this term.
Quality
He continued: “I’d love to be part of a successful playoff run. It’s one of those things you want to experience.
“Growing up you want to sample the big games – Hampden, Wembley – and you want to win promotions and titles. In order to do that we need to stick together and show the continuity and quality we have displayed throughout the season.
“Going to places like Hibs and Rangers and doing the business is necessary for a promotion push in any league.”
