by Stuart Crowther

Date: 12th May 2002

Garry seeks a double for the road! O'Connor tribute to his friend GARRY O'CONNOR IS SEEKING A DOUBLE strike in Perth this afternoon that would make him the club top striker for the season, and set him up nicely when he joins Berti Vogts young Scotland squad on Monday for a trip to South Korea and Hong Kong.  It is also a day when O'Connor will pay tribute to his close friend Liam O'Sullivan, who died last week. There will be a minutes silence observed before Hibs face St Johnstone, a tribute to O'Sullivan that will be of particular note for O'Connor who came through the ranks at Easter Road alongside his friend.  "We'll all be trying our best to get a win for big Trigger, he was a Hibs fan and it would mean a lot to all of us if we could do that for him.  I was good friends with Liam, as were a lot of the younger guys.  We played together for a long time, his death is such a tragedy," O'Connor said as he prepared to end his own dream season on a high note. A goal today from O'Connor would take his tally to 10, and equal current leading striker Paco Luna.  A double would be the icing on the cake of a fantastic season for the Hibs striker, and such is his confidence that is exactly what he expects to achieve.  He said: "If I get one goal I'll be joint top scorer, if I get two then I'll be top.  So I'm aiming to get at least two!  When you consider I did not even get a start until December against Hearts, that's a great target for me to be going for."  For most the season cannot finish quickly enough, with few Hibs fans bothering to make the trip to Perth today.  But with Bobby Williamson drumming into his players that as long as one Hibs fan makes the trip, then his side have a duty to entertain. O'Connor - double would be nice send-off for the season! "People say it's not going to be much more than a friendly, but Saints want to beat us after we cuffed them 3-0 at Easter Road in Bobby Williamson's first game," O'Connor said, adding: "We don't want to lose either, we might not be able to climb the table but we have our pride and the boss will never let us forget that.  It's been a great year for me so far, and while I know a lot of players are glad the season is finally coming to an end I'm delighted that I've got another two weeks with the Scotland squad to go!"  O'Connor will fly out to Hong Kong knowing that he is odds-on to add to his single Scottish cap.  He said: "It'll be a great experience to get away with this squad, another couple of week of hard graft is not going to do me any harm at all.  There are a few young lads in the squad and I'm glad we are getting the chance." Bobby Williamson has added another promising Easter Road youngster to his squad, with 17-year-old midfielder Brian Whittaker likely to come off the bench at some point during the game against relegated Saints.  "Brian has two good feet and is quite a big lad, this is a chance for him to taste first-team football after being on the fringes," the Hibs boss said. While most of the attention today will be on the breaking news that Rangers and Celtic are attempting to join the English Nationwide league before the start of next season, a few Hibees at least will make the trip to Perth to bid farewell to a season that has been for the most part torture!  I reckon on a Hibs win to send the small band of fans south again with albeit ironic smiles.