Hibs manager Jack Ross has admitted that there is a temptation to look towards European football as Hibs put themselves firmly in the fight for a third placed finish following a hard-fought win over Kilmarnock yesterday afternoon. First-half goals from Greg Docherty and Adam Jackson ensured that Chris Burke’s goal which had restored parity on the half hour mark counted for little other than a statistical note.

The win puts Hibs four points ahead of Kilmarnock but also leaves them with Aberdeen and Motherwell, who are currently tied on points, firmly in their sights. It has been quite the turnaround for Hibs since the arrival of Jack Ross. This latest win was their third victory in a week while since the winter break they have lost just once.

“I’ve always wanted us to push as high as we could and the fact we that’s even been talked about is testament to what the group has done over the last three months,” said Ross. “It’s an exciting period for us. We’ve some good league games against the teams around us and then a cup quarter final. We knew this was a defining part of the season and at the moment we’re going the right way about it.

“I had no targets other than getting away from the position we were in at the beginning. Now that we’ve done that we can look forward to the latter part of the season.

“The fact that finishing third is even being spoken about is testament to the progress being made. We were in a relegation fight not so long ago and that, allied to the cup quarter final, means there’s plenty for the group to be excited about.”

Docherty opened the scoring for the Easter Road when he netted with a fine effort, the midfielder’s second goal for Hibs since his arrival at the club from Rangers in the January transfer window. A Scott Allan cross into the box was only partially cleared by Kilmarnock to the edge of the box. As the ball fell kindly for Docherty, his first touch took him away from Scotland internationalist Stephen O’Donnell before he switched onto his right-foot and launched an effort high into the top corner.

If Docherty enjoyed his celebrations, they proved to short-lived as Kilmarnock found a response almost immediately. It was captain Gary Dicker who got the move going as he played in Niko Hamalainen. His effort was blocked by Adam Jackson but as the ball spun in the air Chris Burke stopped inside the six-yard box to send a header into the back of the net and restore parity.

The visitors, however, re-established their lead on the cusp of the interval. Joe Newell’s free-kick wasn’t properly dealt with and as Hibs fullback Paul McGinn looked to get a flick on the free-kick, the ball spun off Nicke Kabamba before breaking to Adam Jackson who netted.

Killie were arguably the better team in the second period and peppered the Hibs goal with a number of chances. The last ten minutes in particular were spent with Hibs camped in their own box with Burke and Stephen O’Donnell getting all sorts of inviting balls into that Kilmarnock could not get on the end of.

The game closed with substitute Greg Kiltie being denied when Ofir Marciano turned his effort around the post as Hibs held on for maximum points. Despite the defeat Kilmarnock manager Alex Dyer has insisted that the Rugby Park side need to recover quickly ahead of Wednesday night’s Scottish Cup replay against Aberdeen.

“We’re in a good place, we’re still in a good place,” he said. “It’s one defeat, so just like Wednesday when we did well [against Rangers] we didn’t get too overexcited and just like when we lose we’re not going to be too deflated. In the second half we created chances and chances but maybe didn’t gamble enough to get the ball when they were put in the box. We have to go again, it’s not all doom and gloom.”