Revealed: What protesting punters told Hibs ace during heated Kosovan fan showdown
Easter Road side aiming to overturn 2-0 deficit in UEFA Conference League qualifier
Hibs No. 1 Raphael Sallinger has opened up on his brave post-match face-to-face with raging away fans in Kosovo after last week’s humiliating UEFA Conference League loss. And the starting goalie revealed that he’d received a promise of full-throated backing as Hibs look to salvage their slender hopes of European progress at Easter Road tomorrow night.
Sallinger made a point of going to talk to protesting punters who had gathered to voice their criticism of the team’s performance in a 2-0 defeat to FC Malisheva at the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina. He insisted there had been a “good conversation” with supporters despite the ugly scenes, including some ripe language and fierce criticism directed and players and coaching staff alike.
Rafa was backing Sturm Graz against Hearts
The Austrian, who was at Tynecastle to see compatriots Sturm Graz knock Hearts out of the Champions League last night, is confident that Hibs won’t suffer the same fate in their second qualifying round tie tomorrow.
Explaining why he’d approached the steel fence where a small group of Hibs fans had gathered to make their voices heard in the wake of last week’s loss, Sallinger said: “Obviously I can feel that because if I would be a fan travelling to Kosovo and see a performance like that I would be disappointed as well. It's obviously clear they had to take more than one flight to get there.
“I understand them, I just want to talk to them, hear what they said. And I think we had a good conversation.
“I think the main point was that we have a game tomorrow and as a club, as the fans, as the players we win together, we lose together. We have a game tomorrow.
“They promised me they'd give everything in the stands to support us, to push us. I think we need that tomorrow, that everyone sticks together in this club and in this title.
“I understand the frustration and we were frustrated as well. I thought maybe it's necessary to say that sometimes you lose games in football, sometimes you don't have your best days.
“We all fail in our lives and they understand that. The main information was that we have to stick all together and give everything for tomorrow.
“The game already happened, so we lost the game. What should I say?
“Everything we can do is look in the future and what's up front is tomorrow. Maybe that's what the fans expected, that someone talks to them.
“Obviously, they will be very important. It's always been playing at Easter Road in front of a really big crowd.
“I think for every other side, it's very difficult to play at Easter Road. We want to show that from the very first minute, that there is nothing they can take away from this game.
“But we have to be patient. We will get our chances and we have to take those chances. We will do it. We're going to do it.”
Mentality fault - but players ‘on fire’ for return leg
Sallinger will have some very personal support in the main stand at Easter Road tomorrow night, with long-term partner Darinka Stock – a nutritionist with Graz – there to cheer him on. She’s the reason he ventured into enemy territory in Gorgie last night – and he’s thrilled to have her in Scotland.
“Yeah, they're obviously off tomorrow, but they have an away game on Saturday in Innsbruck,” he explained, adding: “They're flying to Innsbruck, then they have the next tie and next week, probably against Fenerbahce.
“So they're travelling all the time, but she gets two days off from the manager just as a goodwill to stay with me. Obviously not having a lot of time to see me.”
Promising an improved performance as Hibs ramp up for their second competitive game of the season, Sallinger said: “I think there went a lot wrong in the last game. I think we missed all the basics to win.
“I think there wasn't anything about tactics or anything else. I think we had the wrong mentality on the pitch.
“I'm sure and we will make sure that we step in tomorrow on the grass and want to show everyone how good we are. Honestly, I thought this week was one of the most focused weeks I've ever had since I've been here. So I think everyone is on their best level and on fire to win this game tomorrow.”