Maloney: Hibs will give Cove Rangers the same respect as Celtic

Shaun Maloney says he will prepare his Hibs team to face Cove Rangers in the Scottish Cup in the same way they approached their match against Celtic.

Maloney saw his team beaten 2-0 at Celtic Park in the Premiership on Monday but was impressed with his side’s performance and attitude in the game.

He’s demanding the same when they go up against Paul Hartley’s side in the fourth round of the cup on Thursday.

“The mindset is very similar [to the Celtic game],” Maloney told STV. “We have to go and compete.

“Cove are on a really good run of form and they’ve got very good players, really technical players.

“We’ll have to be at our best and we’re going to go really strong because we have to win the game.

“The big part is how we compete immediately. We have to respect Cove and if that isn’t the case then that’s when things become very difficult. We have to start at that point and show our talent in the right areas.”

Though he’s only been in charge for three games so far, Maloney is well aware of the importance of the Scottish Cup to Hibs with their triumph in 2016. The club has also made regular trips to Hampden in recent seasons but failed to get over the final hurdle, though the manager says it’s too early to start thinking about the silverware with so many hurdles to clear.

“I don’t think we’re there yet,” he said. “I think we have to give ourselves the opportunity to try and win the cup.

“I think once you get to the semi-final stages that’s when you give yourself an opportunity and I think we’re a long way from that.

“Being in the first round for us, and considering the opponent, I think looking any further isn’t worthwhile. This game is going to be difficult and we have to be at our best and compete from the first whistle to give ourselves the best chance to win.

“We need to treat this game the same way we did Celtic and every league game. The importance and the analysis that we have will be the same.

“I’m looking forward to it.”