Colin Calderwood recruits Richie Towell on loan from Celtic, but fellow new boy Martin Scott suspended

Towell has been a regular on the Celtic bench this season and made his debut in a 2-2 draw with Inverness in November. The Republic of Ireland international can operate in defence or midfield and has been signed until the end of the season.

"I want to make an impact in the team and help Hibernian climb up the table," said the 19-year-old. "It would be brilliant to make my debut against Rangers. Games don't come any bigger than that. The time with Hibernian will be massive for my development. I trained for the first time with the squad (yesterday) and everything is really positive."

Hibs manager Colin Calderwood said: "Richie caught our attention when we played against Celtic in a bounce match. He will help to freshen up our squad and will be a good addition between now and the end of the season."

Scott, 24, has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal, and played for his hometown club Livingston before moving to Dingwall, where he worked with Hibs assistant manager Derek Adams at Victoria Park. Yesterday, though, Calderwood explained that his interest in Scott began even before Adams moved to Edinburgh to become his second in command. "I'm delighted we've managed to sign Martin," said the Hibs manager, whose team lie second bottom of the SPL. "He comes into a competitive area of the team and has all the attributes I'm looking for in a player.

"I think one of the first games I went to watch after I'd been appointed manager here was Ross County and I was very impressed with him. I asked the rest of the staff about him and he was a player who was highly thought of. I did a bit more homework on him and then when Derek joined he testified about his character and ability. Martin is a player who will give everything every day, and I'm looking forward to having him as part of our squad."

Scott, who has been nicknamed Jimmy since his childhood, was a key member of the County side which reached last season's Scottish Cup final. He played against Hibs in the quarter-final, and scored one of the goals in his club's semi-final victory over Celtic. "Hibernian is a massive club and it is a real privilege for me to come here," he said yesterday. "I'm delighted with the move and the chance to come and try to establish myself. I'm thoroughly looking forward to the challenge and the fight ahead. It's disappointing I can't play against Rangers because I'm suspended but, hopefully, I can establish myself in the team as quickly as possible and help the team out.

"I hope I've proved in the games I've played against SPL opposition that I'm good enough to play at this level but there is no better way to prove it than on the park. I'm sure, if I can repeat the kind of performances I put in against Hibs in the Scottish Cup last season, then the Hibs fans will be happy."Matt Thornhill also finalised his move from Nottingham Forest last night after a medical, but is not match fit following an injury. Calderwood still hopes to make another signing before the window closes on Monday, and has stressed that it would be wrong to expect too much of any one recruit. Nonetheless, in Scott he appears to have found a player with the physical presence to make a difference in midfield, where Hibs have often been outmuscled.

One game in which that was not the case, of course, was the last time they played Rangers, when they won 3-0. It was a performance from which they can take heart as they prepare for the return fixture, according to striker Darryl Duffy. "I don't think many teams will go there this year and win 3-0," he said. "That's something we should take confidence from going into this game. The champions are coming to our patch and we should be looking to turn them over. If we can't get ourselves revved up for this game, there is a problem. It's no secret we are struggling in front of goal and struggling to keep them out at the other end. It is something we are trying to rectify. We shouldn't be where we are. We have good enough players and the manager is great, so we shouldn't be there. We should be at the opposite end of the table."

Duffy is aware that the threat of relegation is a real one, and knows it would be a mistake to think Hibs were too big a club, with too talented a squad, to go down. "If results don't change it could happen," he accepted. "It has been said many times before that a club is too big to go down. It was used when Newcastle got relegated from the English Premier League, but no club is too big to go down. We are in the position where we have to fight, claw and scratch for every single point. If we do that, we are good enough to get out of the position we are in.

"I think it is only a matter of time before things start to turn round for the club. There is a result coming for us."