Hibs boss urges other stars to get in on scoring act

HIBS boss Mixu Paatelainen today called on his Easter Road stars to hit the goal trail and take the pressure of strikers Derek Riordan, Steven Fletcher and Colin Nish.

The much-vaunted strikeforce, reckoned by many to be the best in the SPL outwith the Old Firm, have been responsible for all but one of Hibs' 12 league goals this season, with 18-year-old defender Paul Hanlon the only other player to have hit the target on target.

While midfielders Dean Shiels, scorer of ten goals last season, and Joe Keenan netted in the Co-operative Cup tie against Morton, Paatelainen admitted he'd love to see more names added to the scoresheet.

He said: "It's important you get goals from many fronts but as long as we are scoring and winning I'll be happy.

"Of course it helps if you have goalscorers other than your strikers, it keeps the opposition on their toes if they know there are other players in our side who are chipping in with goals.

"I'm not saying I'm worried because there will be goals from other areas although so far there have not been too many.

"As we saw last season Dean is capable of getting into double figures from the middle of the park, John Rankin has scored from that area while Fabian Yantorno has notched a few in the reserves and showed he can score in the SPL when he was with Gretna.

"Steven Pinau has also grabbed five goals in four matches for the reserves. So I don't think there's any worries at all. We always go with offensive midfielders and I'm sure the goals will come."

Having seen Saturday's opponents Inverness Caledonian Thistle crushed 5-0 by Rangers last weekend – all five goals coming in the first half at Ibrox – Paatelainen was well aware Hibs fans will be eyeing Caley's visit to Easter Road as a chance for his players to claim a few themselves. But he warned against complacency claiming Hibs couldn't be facing Craig Brewster's side at a more difficult time as they seek to make amends.

The Finn said: "They'll be ready, they'll want to show the Rangers game was nothing more than a hiccup, an off-day. That means we have to be ready, to be doubly sharp and prepared to punish any mistake they made."

Caley's last visit to Easter Road was Paatelainen's first in charge of Hibs, a Shiels' hat-trick earning the Edinburgh club victory in the Scottish Cup. But today Paatelainen insisted that day was already forgotten, saying: "It's history. All that counts is the outcome of this coming match."