Hibs head coach Jack Ross insists there is still plenty of room for improvement in his team despite admitting that the players can be satisfied with their start to the season.
The Leith side lost their first game of the campaign in a 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen before the international break, but remain second in the top-flight on 13 points – three adrift of leaders Rangers.
Ross’ team will attempt to get back on track away to St Mirren tomorrow and are set to be boosted by the return of striker Kevin Nisbet from injury and midfielder Alex Gogic, who was forced to sit out the Dons clash following a false positive test for Covid.
Despite the result on their last outing, Ross admits he is keen to highlight the positives of what the team has achieved so far.
He said: “We don’t want to be satisfied with losing to Aberdeen, with the points total we’ve taken from the opening six games, we can take encouragement from that and be ready to go again in the St Mirren game.
“If you had flipped it and we lost the first game and we achieved the points total since everybody would be very positive.
“So it’s just a case of reminding the players, it’s tempering it with never being satisfied at losing matches, particularly at Easter Road.
“Taking a step back and assessing what we’ve done coming back from a long break, both enforced and pre-season, and banging out the points total we have offers a lot of encouragement and I do believe we’ll get better.
“I don’t believe we’ve attained that points total being at our absolute best, I think we’ve got improvement in us as a squad and a team and I think that will come in the next games.”
Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster, meanwhile, has praised the fans as the money handed over to the club through Hibernian Supporters closes in on the £1 million milestone.
The group was initially set up 2015 with the aim of taking Hibs into fan ownership and currently controls a 15.4 per cent shareholding.
However, as a result of the health crisis, all money has recently been gifted to the club, with 1,000 new fans joining to take the total number of members making monthly donations to nearly 4,000.
Some £75,000 has been handed over since mid-June and Dempster is grateful to the fans for their backing.
She said: “I’ve been heartened and humbled by the support we’ve had from across the Hibernian community over the last few months.
“It’s gone a long way to helping us navigate our way through a challenging period that no-one could have foreseen – and the contribution of Hibernian Supporters members deserves special mention, many of whom are also amongst our amazing season ticket holders.
“To be closing in on a total of £1 million in contributions says everything about that collective love of the club and it’s something we will never take for granted.
“On behalf of everyone at Hibernian, I’d like to thank those who have helped grow Hibernian Supporters – members and a small team of committed volunteers who run it alike.”
