Hibs defender Paul Hanlon admits he would happily take a drab goal-less draw in tonight’s Europa League clash with Asteras Tripolis rather than daring style of football the team have become renowned for.
That result would be enough to propel Neil Lennon’s side into the third qualifying round – where they would most likely face Norwegian side Molde – following last week’s absorbing 3-2 first leg victory in Edinburgh.
However, going by Hibs’ recent propensity for putting their manager and supporters through the wringer, this evening’s clash in the searing Greek heat will be anything but straight forward.
In their last four competitive outings against Tripolis (where they were two down after 35 minutes), Icelandic side Runavik over two legs and Rangers, the Leith outfit been involved in matches in which a total of 32 goals have been scored – with 12 being conceded.
As someone who prides himself on clean sheets, Hanlon admits substance overrides styles in his book.
“From a defender’s point of view, a 0-0 draw, boring with nothing happening would be ideal for me and that will get us through to the next round,” said the 28-year-old.
“But whatever it takes to get us through, that’s all that matters.
“Stopping goals is a team responsibility and the back line will take most of the blame for it but it’s something we need to tidy up as we’ve been conceding a few slack goals.
“We’ll need to tidy that up and then I’m sure we will be in a much better position.
“You never know we could end up 2-0 down early doors again and we have to do it all again.
“We’re going to their home patch now with a lead and I’m sure they will maybe change their game plan a bit because they’ve got to score but we’ll be ready for whatever they throw at us.
“I would say the tie is still evenly matched, a clean sheet and we’re through so that’s obviously a massive positive.
“We know how hard it’s going to be and their mindset will now be that they’re going to attack a lot more and we just need to be ready for it.”
History
Reaching the third qualifying round would take Hibs into unchartered territory in the modern era, with the club failing to successfully negotiate successive European ties since Eddie Turnbull’s side reached the quarter-finals of the old UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup during the 1972/3 campaign.
Hanlon, who celebrated his testimonial last year, insists writing a new chapter in Europe is not something he is considering.
“It’s not about worrying about what happened in the past with previous records, it’s a chance to do as well as we can and we’ve put ourselves in a good position,” he added.
“It’s huge for the club and the fans are travelling in big numbers to watch us.
“Financially for the club it’s massive but all we’ve done is put ourselves in a good position and we need to be even better than we were in the home game.”
