Top six is still possible!
Long serving Reid still confident that battle-damaged Hibees can limp through...

The news that Garry O'Connor had been involved in a car accident in the early hours of Saturday morning has opened up a fierce debate on the off-field behaviour of the current Hibs squad.  It's not far short of a year since some of the current first team squad were caught out on the town 'relaxing' in a couple of bars on what was described as a 'team bonding' night.  Quite why O'Connor was out in Edinburgh at 5am isn't known publicly but in a short statement from the club, any issue over this has been dealt with and, as far as they're concerned, closed.

“We can confirm that one of our players was involved in a minor road traffic accident over the weekend. No-one was injured in the accident, and the individual was breathalysed and the test was clear. The player concerned, who made a full and voluntary statement to the police, was charged with minor road traffic offences and released. It would not be appropriate for the Club to comment on the matter further. The player had admitted that a breach of Club discipline has occurred and this has been dealt with internally.”  The fact that O'Connor has been included in the squad for tonight's game though seems to be more to do with the lack of striking options at the moment rather than the incident being fully closed as Williamson stated.  "He's back in the squad.  He came in on Monday and because we are short of players at the moment he is very much in our plans."  As more players return to fitness over the coming weeks, it will be interesting to see what happens to the Scotland Under 21 star.

Alan Reid - finally getting his chance  (sns)

One player who has kept himself out of the limelight since making his appearances for the first team that bit more regular is Alan Reid.  Reid, who can now be quoted as one of the club's longer serving players, has had to endure a fair amount of time sitting in the stands instead of taking his place on the park or bench come Saturday afternoons but with the devastating injury list at Easter Road, particularly in the midfield, the opportunity has finally presented itself for him to show what he can do.  "It’s been great for my own confidence to get a wee run in the side, we have a lot of young boys but that has possibly taken the pressure off a bit as well. When you go in you just try and do your bit, the manager has been very fair and when he gives you the opportunity to get a jersey then you have to keep it, prove it is yours – and that is just what I’ve been trying to do."

Reid is now on his SIXTH manager at Easter Road but knows that his chance to impress at the highest level at Hibs has come as a result of those that are missing as much as anything else.  “I’ve been at the Club for five years now, quite a long time – and I’ve been through a few managers, I first started during Alex Miller’s time at the Hibs. It’s been a learning curve, but this has definitely been the highlight for me, being involved in a cup final was massive and getting a run of games as well – long may that continue. I’ve played little bits in the first team under different managers but now the manager has been fair and given me the opportunity which I’ve tried to grab. We’ve been missing key players in the side, I don’t need to mention these guys because it’s quite apparent. But young boys have came in and done great, and I hope that I’ve came in and did my bit as well. But we just have to start picking up points, there is no point drawing all the credit of having a good young team, we have to prove it now and start climbing up the league and make the top six achievable.”

With many Hibs fans now doubting whether the club can make it into the top six for the final five games of the season, Reid was keen to point out the fact that things are not all that bad around Easter Road at the moment!  “It has been a difficult time obviously because of the disappointment of the cup final, and then to lose to Celtic with a scoreline that did not flatter us at all – it was a bit of a heavy defeat. But it has been hard but the boys are quite upbeat, we’ve quite a few important games coming and we need to pick up points which has been a problem of late.

“Top six is definitely still a realistic target – to be honest I don’t think that things have been all bad, even though we have not won in a while. The disappointment of the cup final was great but beforehand we were picking up a lot of draws – but we need to start grinding points out of games. I’m hoping that can start tomorrow.”

On the injury front, Gary Smith has now been added to the queue forming outside Malcolm Colquhoun's door with the news that a broken toe is likely to keep the former Aberdeen and Scotland star out for several weeks.  On the positive front, Stephen Dobbie's injury does not appear to be as serious as first thought with bruising and possible ligament damage being reported at the club yesterday afternoon.  Despite the fact that his ankle isn't broken, it appears unlikely that he will play any part in the remainder of the current season.

Tonight sees what could be Hibs last chance to make the top six so the pressure will most certainly be on.  Whether the playing staff, management and the fans that attend tonight, and I fear that there won't be a huge number of them, handle the occasion is a matter of concern.  The opening ten to fifteen minutes will be the key as will the first goal.  However, if the game is still goalless going into the second half, the chances of Hibs taking all three points, for me, reduce.  Hand on heart, this will be the toughest of the two games that Hibs will play over the next few days and the fear factor of not losing this one will play a major part in the performance on the park.  To that end, I'm going with a no-score draw for my, hopefully wrong, prediction for tonight.  Prove me wrong Hibs!