Alan Stubbs hailed the bravery of his Hibs players after they ruined Hearts’ Easter Road title party with a 2-0 derby win. He saw his men hold on to second place in the Championship with a second straight win, building momentum after a run of three consecutive defeats – and setting them up for Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Falkirk. Stubbs, who had seen his team play well but fail to beat Hearts in three previous outings this season, said his players had answered those who asked if they had the bottle to win at the business end of the season. ‘Two weeks ago we were being questioned,’ said Stubbs after goals from Jason Cummings and Farid El Alagui saw them remain level on points with Rangers, who have a game in hand. ‘People were asking if this was the wobble and was this Hibs; season ending again. Alan Stubbs saw his side record a win in the Edinburgh derby to put Hearts' promotion party on hold . ‘Football can change very quickly. Suddenly after two results we are building momentum again. I think the players have always answered the criticism. ‘When you have played well against the champions, as we have done this season, and not got three points, I think it is important. ‘Sometimes it can just linger on and it puts self-doubt in not just the players’ minds but the fans’ minds as well. I was proud of the players today, I really was. They were courageous and brave so I am delighted for them.’ Stubbs singled out El Alagui for special praise. The striker – not long back from seven months out with an achilles injury – played brilliantly before securing victory with his injury-time finish. ‘I’m absolutely delighted for him,’ said the Hibs manager. ‘He has had a really tough seven months, with a horrendous injury. I don’t think people understood just how bad the injury was and the fact he is back playing now is all credit to him. Hearts captain Danny Wilson picks the ball out of the back of the net after his side concede a second goal . ‘The surgeon deserves praise for the procedure he did and it’s great to have him back, because he is something we have missed. I think Farid is only going to get better, he is still not where we would like him to be. He needs more strength and speed put into him, but he will get that by playing games and working on his programme.’ Hibs defender Jordon Forster admitted he’d been motivated by a desire to silence the gloating Hearts fans, saying: ‘As much as you try and block out what the Hearts fans are planning, you see it on social media and in the papers. You know the fans are doing this and that. ‘You’d be lying if you said you don’t hear the fans during the game. I like a bit of banter because it’s the fans’ day as well as the players. You can use it to your motivation, as long as you don’t let it affect your game in a negative way. ‘It’s all a bit of fun. They have won the league - but we get the bragging rights for today. The Hibernian fans were in good spirits at full-time after getting one over their city rivals . ‘It’s probably the most important derby win I’ve been involved in. My debut was special and I’ll always remember it but it was vital to get three points and keep the pressure on Rangers. ‘All we can do is keep winning games until the end of the season and see where it takes us. They (Rangers) go to Tynecastle at the end of the season and if we win all our games we need them to drop points somewhere. If we stay focused it could be a really good season for the club and the fans.’
Hibs won the derby 2-0 to stay second in the Scottish Championship.
They had lost their last three, but the win gives them momentum.
‘People were asking if this was the wobble and was this Hibs; season ending again,' Stubbs said.
Stubbs singled out Farid El Alagui for special praise after the striker came back from an achilles injury.