Hibernians coach Mark Miller has challenged his players to show their desire to claim this year’s title as they brace themselves for another duel tomorrow night when the Premier League leaders face champions Valletta at the National Stadium (kick-off: 8pm).
The Paolites are on cloud nine as Sunday’s impressive showing in a 3-1 win over Balzan gave them a cushion-lead at the top of the standings.
Hibs looked a well-oiled machine and had too much firepower for a distraught Balzan side with Clayton Failla, Johann Bezzina and Jorginho netting the goals which condemned the Reds to their second successive defeat.
Second-placed Valletta, held to a one-all draw by Floriana on Sunday, are five points adrift in second place. So, victory over the Citizens would push Hibernians closer to reclaim the crown they had lost to Valletta last year.
“The win over Balzan put us in a better position at the top of the table,” Miller told the Times of Malta.
“We have a five-point lead over our nearest rivals and the title is now for us to lose. On Sunday the players showed they had more desire to win the title than Balzan and that proved crucial to take the three points.
“I felt that having more players with experience in such crucial matches was a deciding factor as we stepped it up in key moments of the match and Balzan seemed to fade away and had no response to our game.”
Miller, however, knows he cannot take things for granted and is expecting another tough test against a Valletta side eager to revive their hopes after failing to beat their derby rivals on Sunday.
“It would be naive of us to think that the title is already in the bag as we still have some tough hurdles to negotiate, starting with a clash against Valletta tomorrow,” Miller said.
“They are the defending champions and failure to beat Floriana has put them in a difficult situation. They will be going out with all guns blazing as only a win will do for them so we have to be ready.
“I’m expecting a more challenging test than against Balzan as I feel that Valletta are a superior team and know what it takes to approach matches of this calibre.
“This will be another real test of character for my team and it will show whether we truly deserve to be crowned champions.”
At the start of the season few had mentioned Hibernians among the likely title challengers given the various changes and struggles the club went through the first few weeks of the campaign.
Miller said gelling the squad into a solid unit on the field of play was a determining factor behind their lofty position in the league at the moment.
“I think that we have earned our position through sheer hard work and determination,” he reckoned.
“This is not the Hibs side of previous years that adopt attacking football and score four or five goals in each match. This is a more pragmatic side we have.
“Heading into the home straight, it will be crucial how we approach our final matches from a mental point of view. I still expect a few setbacks on the way so it will be important to react strongly on such occasions.
“We deserve to be in the position we are but the difficult part starts now as it’s time for the players to show if they have the resilience and hunger to sustain their title challenge till the end.”