Nick Montgomery watched resurgent Hibernian defeat Ross County 2-0 to climb into the top six of the cinch Premiership and then challenged them to stay there for the rest of the season.
Hibs slipped into the bottom half of the table after eight league games in a row without a victory from early December.
They were recently five points outside the top six, but the win over County, achieved through second-half goals from Myziane Maolida and substitute Dylan Levitt, made it seven points from three games over the past week and took them above Dundee and into sixth place.
Hibs are now unbeaten in five matches in all competitions and appear to be back in contention for a European place.
“We’re happy to be back in the top six and definitely won’t be complacent,” said Montgomery.
“Momentum has been building for the last couple of weeks and we have to keep performing to the standards we’ve set over the past week. It’s been a big week, three games, and we’re unfortunate not to end it with nine points.”
Montgomery admitted Hibs looked “leggy” at the end of a week in which they had also defeated Dundee and drawn away to Hearts, but he felt they were “professional” overall and well worth their victory over County.
“I think it was a well-deserved win,” he said.
“We scored the first goal and, from that point, David Marshall had one big save (from Eamonn Brophy) to keep it at 1-0.
“Then the second goal killed the game and, from then on, we had three or four more chances to score.
“The performance was really professional. We could have made it easier for ourselves, because we had a lot of chances that went begging.
“But we take 2-0 and a clean sheet against a Ross County team who came to frustrate us, with a lot of time-wasting in the first half.
“They’re fighting for their lives, so they made it really difficult for us. We had to be patient and continue playing, so it was nice to get the goals.”
County manager Don Cowie lamented the error from George Wickens that allowed Hibs to break the deadlock in the 59th minute after the on-loan Fulham goalkeeper spilled a cross from Dylan Vente, with Maolida pouncing quickest to prod home the loose ball.
“I felt the game swung on an error from our goalkeeper, unfortunately,” he said.
“He’s been excellent for us since he came to the club. He has held his hands up, it’s a pretty basic error.
“I felt at that time, 60 minutes into the game, we were starting to quieten the crowd and I was happy with where we were at that moment in the game.
“We still had enough time to obviously try and rectify the error and Eamonn (Brophy) had a good chance which he didn’t take.
“I saw enough from my team in terms of the effort and work-rate and togetherness. It’s now about trying to add a bit of quality to that.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. He's Henry. Oh, he's the new Henry. Palmer's reaction after Nicholas Jackson didn't pass the ball How people count from 1 to 7 in different countries Since Kylian Mbappe left PSG a year ago, they have...Won the one trophy he couldn't while he was there: the Champions League Knocked his new club, Real Madrid, out of the Club World Cup Ousmane Dembele: PSG's Superm...
The future of Luis Diaz remains a topic at two of the biggest member-owned clubs in world football, as Bayern Munich and Barcelona both pursue Liverpool winger Luis Diaz. The Colombian has left his future open on multiple occasions, and with no sign of a new contract on the horizon, Liverpool are stuck between a rock and a hard place.Diaz reportedly has a gentleman's agreement with Liverpool that ...
Tyler Dibling has a lot of suitors this summerThe 19-year-old caught the eye during a disastrous season for Southampton which saw them relegated from the Premier League with just 12 points.Dibling was one of a very few bright sparks of the campaign and may well make an immediate return to the top flight.The Telegraph reported earlier this year that the Saints wanted an enormous £100m for thei...
Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a fee of around £55 million ($74.7m) to sign West Ham midfielder Mohammed Kudus, a source confirmed to ESPN's James Olley.The Ghana international has agreed a six-year contract, with a medical set to take place in next 48 hours, a source added.ESPN previously reported that West Ham had rejected a £50 million ($67.9m) offer from Spurs.Kudus, 24, has an £...
Milan explore move for Leverkusen's BonifaceAC Milan have officially opened dialogue with Bayer Leverkusen regarding the potential transfer of Nigerian striker Victor Boniface, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.Boniface previously came close to securing a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr earlier this year, but the deal ultimately did not materialise. With his future at Leverkusen uncertain, Milan...
Renato Gaucho's Fluminense were eliminated from the Club World Cup by Chelsea.Fluminense's trip to the Club World Cup semi-final should net Brazilian coaches more respect, the club's manager Renato Portaluppi said on Tuesday, after their improbable deep run in the tournament ended in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.The former striker, who steered the team to the 1995 Rio de Janeiro championship as a playe...
Yan Couto’s Club World Cup spark fuels Borussia Dortmund ambitionsBrazil international Yan Couto has his sights set on locking down a starting spot at Borussia Dortmund, with confidence high after a standout Club World Cup.The right-back featured in every match for the Bundesliga giants before their journey ended in the quarter-finals with a 3-2 loss to Real Madrid in East Rutherford.Despite...
Tottenham and Liverpool to enter transfer race for Parma defender LeoniParma defender Giovanni Leoni is wanted by several clubs this summer and now it seems like Liverpool and Tottenham have entered the race for him.The centre-back is only 18 years old, but has already made 17 Serie A appearances after enjoying a rapid rise in Serie A in recent years since joining the side for just 34.1M from Samp...
Everton sign Villarreal striker Barry: The fans here are crazy people, I like this!Everton have completed the signing of Thierno Barry from La Liga side Villarreal The 22-year-old has become the club’s second signing of the summer as manager David Moyes continues to make drastic changes to his squad ahead of the new season. Barry joins on the back of an impressive debut season in La Liga, in...
Arsenal U18 v Manchester United U18: FA Youth Cup Quarter FinalArsenal’s preparations for the 2025-26 season are underway, and one of the most eye-catching developments at London Colney this week has been the presence of 15-year-old prodigy Max Dowman in first-team training. The highly rated youngster was involved in the senior squad’s pre-season fitness and technical sessions on Wedne...
- 1 Five players ask to leave Man Utd including Rashford, Antony, Garnacho and Sancho
- 2 Diogo Jota's wife arrives at chapel where tragic star's coffin is taken
- 3 Daily Laugh - If Arsenal get Gabriel Heinze
- 4 Garnacho reveals he intends to stay in the Premier League after Man Utd departure
- 5 Lionesses captain Leah Williamson strips down to her underwear
- 6 Man Utd make shock move to Calvert-Lewin
- 7 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 8 Harry Kane, that's awful! England captain's error costs Bayern as Desire Doue & Ousmane Dembele send NINE-MAN PSG into Club World Cup semi-finals in feisty clash that sees Jamal Musiala suffer sickeni
- 9 New coach confirms Modric move to Milan
- 10 Bayern ready to rival Arsenal for Eberechi Eze and target move for Chelsea flop after losing Jamal Musiala to injury