Marshall post-match Q&A after Hibs lose Edinburgh derby

That must have been a sore one?

“It’s a hard one to take when you lose the derby, especially when the goal comes so late. I don’t know how it looked but I felt we played relatively well.  

“There were spells in the game where it was scrappy, which was understandable. The fast start, the two penalties, it took a bit for the game to settle after that because everybody was a bit shell-shocked, to be honest.  

“I don’t think we deserved to lose the game. But it’s football. That’s the way it goes. The ball has ricocheted around, it’s fallen to him – and it’s a good finish, to be fair to him."

You'd kept Shankland quiet up until then... 

“Aye, you know he’s a very good finisher, so you try to limit his service and limit his chances. I thought we did that. He had one half-chance in the second half, which he hit straight at me. And the penalty of course.

“But overall I think we played relatively well – without creating any massive clear-cut chances ourselves. Dylan Vente had one where Zander Clark saved to his right, and Zander saved the penalty as well.  Overall, we should be relatively happy with the performance – but gutted with the result."

You've lost a few tight games 1-0 recently, is it becoming a problem?

“We lost 1-0 to St Johnstone, the same in the semi-final against Aberdeen, as well. I think we have to look at the bigger picture. It’s hard just now because we’ve just lost a derby and it’s all very raw. But we have to look at where we were when the manager came in – and where we are now. 

“We’re in a better place. I firmly believe that. And it’s the halfway point of a season where we lost our first nine points, which left us chasing it. But I think everyone can see we’re heading in the right direction.  This is the first time the manager has lost at home since he came in. And I think everyone can see the steps we’ve taken.  

“We’ve also dropped a couple of points from being 2-0 up in games, so there is lots of room for improvement. The manager came in mid-season, he’s not had a transfer window yet, so there are a lot of things we can look at.  But there is still a lot in that dressing room. I still feel we can have a successful season."

How important is it to bring in new faces early in January, given injuries and the tournaments?

“Yeah, we’ve potentially got a few out, with Josh Campbell getting injured against Hearts and three or four heading away to tournaments. I think some of them will even miss the Motherwell game.  

“Regardless of the run we were on, the unbeaten run when the manager came in, there is enough in the squad to be successful and be consistent.  

“But looking at the transfer window, it’ll be surprising if there aren’t ins and outs. That’s probably the same as every other club – but we need to get back to winning ways. We’ve got a chance to do that against Motherwell and go into the break on a high. 

What's been the most important, or most obvious change under Montgomery?

“I think the way we play; the manager has brought consistency. We’re not chopping and changing.  

“I think we’re creating chances in the majority of games, although we’ve had a few where that hasn’t happened. The games we’ve lost, you obviously can’t keep losing. But there is a way of losing games.  

“And it will turn. It will turn. We went on a fantastic run when the manager came in. We’ve had a couple of setbacks now, which was always going to happen over the course of the season. 

“But if we keep believing in what we’re doing, I think we’ll hit that sort of form again.  

What did you make of the Sky Sports / SFA row?

“Was the gaffer not mic’d up? Listen, it didn’t affect us at all. But I think it would have been nice to see it.  The fans like to get close to the experience. Some people were against it, some people were for it. 

“But it would have been good to show the league and the derby in a good light, because it’s a good spectacle with the away fans being there, which is different to the Old Firm. So it would have been interesting.”