Michael Weir: Why I would play Hibs' strongest team for trip to Stranraer

Hibs have got to go down there with no complacency, be professional and just get the job done. The players did exactly that at Queen of the South and showed that they've got the mentality for these games.

It's human nature to go down there and think 'we should win this' and suddenly you get yourself into a difficult game, and it can he hard to get out of it. It’s a vital game and you don't want to end up with egg on your face after seeing what happened to Hearts.

I don't foresee any problems to be honest, and I think the players will be ready for it. They've hit a decent wee spell of form, and are starting to look like a decent team again. They played well at Ibrox and were unfortunate not to get something out of the game.

I don't know how Jack Ross will play it but I think at this time of the season you've got to put your strongest team out and don't take any chances. I think you need to keep a strong bond on the park because there's a lot of big games coming up and, at the moment, the players are all playing with confidence. Sometimes if you break it up it can have a negative impact so if it was me I'd be going with my strongest team to make sure we keep those confidence levels up and keep results going the right way.

I understand you might want to give players game time but at such a vital stage of the season, with a quarter-final at stake and the European carrot dangling over their heads, it's time to get a good strong side together and keep them going. Keep the partnerships together, and keep the confidence up. Jack might see it differently but looking at them just now they've hit a good bit of form and I'd like to see that continue.

They've just got to make sure they're ready for all the challenges ahead because they've got a lot to play for. At the end of the season you want to be going for something and they've got that chance in both league and cup. I just hope they grasp it.

There's been a lot of disappointments in the season as well, particularly losing the two semi-finals to Hearts and St Johnstone, so it's now time for the team to show they can handle these big games.

The one disappointment from the performance at Ibrox was not getting something out the game because I don't think we can keep going along thinking we're doing okay when we're getting beat. You can only do that for so long.

You can have hard-luck stories, but there comes a point where you've got to stand up and make sure you get over the line. Whether it's getting to the Scottish Cup final or clinching third place, we've got to start making sure we win the big games. That's my only worry. Every time we're asked the big question we don't get over the line, but Jack will know that as well. It's time to deliver and really do it now.

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