Jack Ross bemoaned “soft goals” leaked by Hibs in a disappointing defeat to Motherwell, but insisted he won’t let it derail their European bid.
The Easter Road side fell well short of the performance level that saw them win four on the bounce to put themselves in pole position in the Scottish Premiership’s battle for Europe, but found a significant bump in the road in the form of a high-pressing, aggressive Motherwell.
Jordan Roberts, on loan from capital rivals Hearts, raced onto a cute Tony Watt through ball to open the scoring before Hibs were caught napping within 60 seconds of the restart, allowing Devante Cole to drive home a decisive second.
Ross reacted by making a triple substitution almost immediately afterwards, withdrawing veteran duo Darren McGregor and Lewis Stevenson alongside forward Jamie Murphy in favour of Ryan Porteous, Alex Gogic and Kevin Nisbet.
But it was to little effect as the hosts failed to carve out much in the way of goal scoring opportunities before Christian Doidge passed up two clear chances to end his run of 13 games without a goal in the second period.
The men in green and white retain their third place in the Scottish Premiership thanks to Aberdeen’s defeat at Celtic, but Ross admitted his players may have to be reminded not to allow their standards to slip three games before the end of season split.
“We’re striving for perfection here and when you do that, it’s pretty tiring and relentless and sometimes it’s not enjoyable,” he said.
“It’s reminding the players that there cannot be a drop in standards and the demands they make on each other.
“It’s difficult to win consecutive games in this league like the run we’ve just been on and if you dip slightly below levels, it puts you at risk of losing the game.
“The concession of the two goals are soft, every manager will say they are avoidable but they are and then we miss good opportunities at key times of the game.”
Doidge has now failed to find the net since a double in the Betfred Cup quarter-final win over Championship Alloa Athletic before Christmas, but Ross admitted it was down to him to restore confidence in the misfiring Welshman.
“It happens and he feels it because he’s a conscientious player and personality," he said.
“His contribution since he got back in he team in terms of his all round play has been excellent, and his all round play was good today.
“But, harshly, strikers are always going to be judged on their goal return.
“He knows that, he’s not going to shy away from it, it’s our job to cajole and help our players through any challenging period and he’ll be fine.
“His all round performance and contribution to the team is good."
