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Last Updated : 22-Mar-2004 by

The waterlogged pitch at Fir Park would not have pleased Terry Butcher or the players who would have been anxious to find the few more points we need to guarantee a top half finish. Still, it does have the advantage of meaning we should be completely rested as opposed to Hibs who were given a doing by Celtic on Sunday.

A clean sheet in our last visit
Indeed, had the team been watching the game, they must have been rubbing their hands at the thought of facing a Hibs defence which looked incredibly shaky. Discounting their penalty shoot-out CIS win, Hibs have not actually won a game since a 2-0 triumph at Rugby Park on January 24. Are they due for a turnaround in fortunes or can we compound their misery?

They certainly have players capable of doing the business but the likes of McManus, Riordan and Brown are prone to inconsistency. They have a very young team coming through just now and if we were to score the first goal it is not inconceivable that their heads will drop.

It is likely that our starting eleven will not change from the Celtic game although it is feasible that Jason Dair could come in to replace Shaun Fagan. Bollan, O’Donnell, Craig and Partridge are still unavailable through injury.

Traditionally we have a terrible record at Easter Road but we broke the hoodoo with a 2-0 win there earlier in the season. There is no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy more success – Hibs 1 Motherwell 2.