David Marshall has called on Hibs to find a 'bit of a spark' ahead of facing Aberdeen after a 'tough' derby defeat to Hearts.
It's the second time this year the Jambos have gotten the number of their Edinburgh rivals with Robbie Neilson's men running out 3-0 winners once again against Lee Johnson and his troops. This time it was in their own backyard as the Hibees face elimination from the Scottish Cup with their Gorgie rivals into the last 16 to face Hamilton.
It's full focus now on Premiership matters for Hibs starting with a big game against under-fire Jim Goodwin. His Aberdeen team lost 5-0 at Tynecastle last midweek and face a tricky tie at Darvel later tonight as they bid to reach the fifth round of the competition. Just two points separate the pair in the league standings and Marshall knows the win could provide the catalyst to get the season moving in the right direction as they bid to finish in the top six and compete for European football. Speaking following the derby day defeat in Leith, Marshall said: “We need to get some momentum going. We play Aberdeen next and we can get higher in the league.
READ MORE: Lee Johnson makes Hibs pressure vow as boss will 'stick it out' in defiant derby defeat response
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“We’ve got a chance to do that. It’s a tough one after today but we need to find a bit of confidence, bit of spark and go again. If you look back at the game, we can take some positives in terms of performances, which has been potentially lacking in recent months.
“In the first half it felt like we had a lot of pressure around Hearts’ box but maybe nothing clear-cut. Chris Cadden had a chance that was blocked and Zander had a couple of saves but nothing outrageous.
"We felt certainly for the first half we played well. Obviously, they’ve been clinical. Shankland’s in a good run of form and we’ve been disappointed with the goals we’ve conceded lately. We started the season quite strongly defensively and we’ve slipped a little bit.
“You’re never as far away as you think and, for the first hour of the game, we matched Hearts and arguably were the better side. But it all comes down to goals.”
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