Ross happy to have front line firing for crunch Euro test

Hibs boss Jack Ross says his side travel to Croatia in good spirits ahead of their Europa Conference League test – with his dangerous forward line giving him reasons to be confident.

A 1-1 draw at Easter Road last week leaves the qualifying tie finely balanced, though Hibs looked the better side throughout the first leg match.

Ross then saw his side beat Ross County 3-0 on Sunday to continue a strong start to the season and put them top of the league after two games.

Martin Boyle, Kevin Nisbet and Christian Doidge have all found the net this season, with Kyle Magennis and Jamie Murphy also scoring. Ross believes that will be good for confidence and can only help his side.

“It’s nice to start the season in that manner,” he told STV. “Those forward players had a good season last year but if you add in now Kyle Magennis and Jamie Murphy who had injury-disrupted seasons and are fit and strong now.

“For them all to be off the mark and playing well and scoring at this stage is terrific.”

The Hibs head coach also thinks he and his staff have benefited from getting the first leg under their belt and knowing what their opposition are all about.

“It does help [that we know more about them],” he said. “It was the same in the previous round.

“You can do all your analysis and prep but there’s no substitute for experiencing it first hand, especially for the players. So they now know their immediate opponent and what Rijeka offer collectively as a team.

“That’s why we travel in a good mindset as well.”