Thornton Hibs boss Craig Gilbert sets points target to get promotion
Despite losing 4-2 at leaders Armadale Thistle last Saturday, Thornton Hibs still look a great bet to seal promotion from the East of Scotland Football League first division.
Craig Gilbert’s third-placed team – trailing 2-0 at half-time in West Lothian to goals by Ryan Cowie and Craig Baillie – pulled one back through Keir Allan’s penalty but Cowie’s second and Calum Heath's deflected shot made it 4-1 before Sean Cunningham netted a 40-yarder for the visitors on 77 minutes.
“We were poor,” Gilbert said. “I was going over there to win that game because I want to win the league. I can’t crucify the boys too much because they put their heart and soul into every game.
"But not playing in a month has greatly hampered us. Armadale play on astroturf, they played Rob Roy last week in the Scottish Communities Cup and they were put out of that, but they’ve been getting friendlies on their astro as well.
"So they were two or three yards ahead of us, sharper all over the pitch. They were better than us on the day. They will be cock-a-hoop.”
Gilbert, whose team have 37 points from 18 matches putting them eight points clear of fifth-placed Edinburgh South with the top four sides going up, added: "Armadale are now eight points clear of us. We’ve got a game in hand, but they’ll be hard to claw back.
"I think we need to win five or six of our last 12 games to clinch promotion, because every team’s not going to win every game.
"We would have to seriously crumble not to do well. The boys have done great, they’ve done well, playing well against big teams.
"They’ve been unlucky that they’ve hardly kicked a ball in the last month, but that’s Scottish football, it’s winter, you can’t help that.
"It’s hard to keep ticking over by getting friendlies because everybody wants the same pitches.
"We just train and do the best we can over the winter period.”
Thornton get a break from the league this Saturday as they host fellow first division outfit Preston Athletic in a second round King Cup tie which kicks off at 2pm.
"This is the fourth time we’ve played Preston this season,” Gilbert said. “We’ve taken six points off them in the league but they beat us 2-1 here in the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup second round.
"They are tied on points with us in the league so we’re both doing well. It will be a humdinger.
"I just hope the rain stays off to get the game on. This will be the third time we’ve tried to get this game on, it’s been postponed twice already.