Calderwood won't cut Hibs players any slack in quest for top six

Hibs boss Colin Calderwood today warned his players they won't be cut any slack between now and the end of the season as the Easter Road outfit contemplate a run of "meaningless" matches.

The Edinburgh club face ending the season out of the top six for the first time in seven seasons, leaving them in limbo, unable to make the upper half of the SPL table but safe from the threat of relegation.

Anything other than victory over Celtic in Glasgow tonight – and even then Hibs' immediate future would be dependent on the outcome of sixth-placed Motherwell's clash with Dundee United – will confirm seventh as being the best Calderwood's players can hope for in what has been a bitterly disappointing season for the Hibees.

But with fixtures against Aberdeen and Hamilton to be followed by five post-split matches, Calderwood insisted he'll continue to demand his players produce the sort of form which has propelled them to a run of seven matches without defeat.

He said: "I think we still have a lot to prove to oursleves, I don't see any days off in the games we have. Everyone will be under examination. There may not be the pressure or tension of going for a European spot or staying away from the relegation zone but you see how professional they (the players] are in terms of their desire to win games. There should be no lessening of our appetite to win games and gain as many points as we can."

To that end, Calderwood insisted he'd be making his first trip to Celtic Park as Hibs manager looking for more than a 0-0 draw although he conceded Neil Lennon's side will be possibly even more difficult opponents with the title race set to go down to the wire. He said: "It will be a real physical game, we are going to have to expend a lot of energy at a place where not many teams go and win."

And Calderwood pinpointed Hoops midfielder Kris Commons as a major threat, well aware of the Scotland star's talents from their time together at Nottingham Forest.

He said: "Kris has really hit the ground running at Celtic as I thought he would.

"He can score or create a goal, if we let him dribble he can do thta, stand off him and he can score spectacular goals from distance."

Meanwhile, Ross Caldwell's goal wasn't enough to prevent Hibs' Under-19 side going down 2-1 to Dundee United.