Finding a way out of the woods for Hibs

Thornhill, who last week penned a deal with Hibs that will keep him at the club for the next two-and-a-half years, helped Nottingham Forest successfully stave off the threat of the drop in their 2008/09 campaign and is confident that Hibs can do the same this season.

The Easter Road side have struggled for points in recent months and, indeed, have failed to record a win or score a single a goal so far in 2011.

However 22-year-old Thornhill, one of six new faces brought in by Calderwood during the January transfer window, is keen to weigh in with a few goals of his own to help break that duck - starting with tonight's clash against St Mirren.

The Buddies are one of Hibs' nearest rivals and currently sit two points ahead of the Easter Road men in the SPL, having played a game less.

Thornhill, who came on as a substitute in Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Dundee United at Tannadice, is well aware of the situation that his new side are facing and is keen to make a positive contribution, saying: "There's no doubt that the side have been struggling a bit at the moment but hopefully I can add a few goals of my own.

"I have done that in the past and the gaffer will know that, that's maybe one of the reasons that he brought me here.

"I don't set myself any targets in terms of scoring, as long as I'm contributing with a few from the middle of the park I'll be happy enough with that.

"At the moment I just want to get a full game and take it from there and it would be great to get my first start tonight. It's definitely a six-pointer and we obviously don't want to be in the bottom six come the end of the season.

"It's a game everyone wants to be involved in and I'm no different."

Thornhill has great faith in Calderwood, having worked under him at Forest, and, having had a couple of weeks to settle in at Hibs, is also certain they have the players at their disposal to turn their fortunes around.

However, he conceded they will only be able to do that if the squad sticks together as a unit and, recalling the spirit that was required to help Forest three seasons ago, Thornhill continued: "I think that we have got a great bunch of players here and there is a lot of ability. Confidence levels are maybe not the greatest at the moment but that will get better, especially if we get a result tonight.

"Sometimes things just seem to work against you but hopefully, once we hit the back of the net for the first time this year, the goals will start to come for us.

"I definitely don't think we should be down there, from what I have seen of the lads and their capabilities, we are too good a side for that.

"I think team spirit will be key to us pushing our way back up the table and keeping all the boys together, pushing in one direction.

"From my experience with Forest, it's important not to let the situation get to you, to just keep plugging away and playing your own game, and to make sure that the players are not arguing amongst themselves on the pitch when things are not going your way.

"We need 11 leaders, we just need to keep battling and eventually it will turn around for us."

Thornhill admitted that Calderwood was one of the main reasons that he opted for a move to Hibs but conceded that he was also impressed by the set-up Hibs have at both Easter Road stadium and their training facilities at Ormiston. He added: "I know the gaffer from Nottingham Forest and I know what he is all about, he was a big factor in me coming to the club and I am looking forward to working with him again.

"I came up to Edinburgh about a week before I signed and I didn't know what to expect, really, but I've been pleasantly surprised.

"Forest have got a good set-up and a good Academy, but I would say that the facilities at Hibs are even better than down there.

"There's a lot said about Scottish football down in England but I have definitely been pleasantly surprised by what I have seen here so far."

Thornhill's transfer to Easter Road was held up by a few days while he was assessed by the Hibs medical team to see how he was recovering from a bruised ankle.

That injury kept him out of action for a month, but he came off the bench against Dundee United at Tannadice last weekend and is hoping that the move north of the border will help him get more first-team football under his belt.

He continued: "My main aim really is to try to get some games under my belt, really, that's the most important thing for me and hopefully I can do that at Hibs.

"I was injured for four or five weeks before I joined Hibs but I wasn't too worried about it and it was good when the club got it scanned an it came back all clear.

"I wanted to get myself fit and now that I have done that I just want to try to win a place in the side and then get a run in the team. I want to be involved and to help Hibs as much as possible to get away from the bottom of the table."

Thornhill was the first of six signings Calderwood made during a hectic January transfer window, with Jakub Divis, Akpo Sodje, Martin Scott, Victor Palsson and Richie Towell also being added to the squad - striker Sodje and Divis arriving on deadline day.

He's hoping that the players, new and old, will gel together quickly for the run-in and continued: "I was the gaffer's first signing and to begin with, I thought that I was going to be the only one settling in but there have been a few more, obviously, since then.

"I'm still looking for a flat but the club have put me up near the stadium for the time being and I've been getting a lift into training with some of the other lads because I've not been able to bring my car up yet. The rest of the boys have been great with me and the rest of the new signings and hopefully we will all be able to gel together as a unit fairly quickly."

Meanwhile, manager of tonight's opponents, Danny Lennon, has revealed that he has banned all talk of relegation in his dressing room although he insisted that each and every one of his Buddies players knows exactly what is at stake, both for the club and on a personal level. Lennon said: "I don't talk to the lads about relegation. It's a difficult thing because I realise they've all got families and they want to know exactly where they are but we've got a big four months ahead of us and that's what I want them to concentrate on.

"Everything else will take care of itself."

St Mirren have suffered in a similar fashion to Hibs this season and late goals conceded have cost them valuable league points.

Lennon knows that his side must kill games off when they have the chance and he reminded his players: "Missing out on those points has been very frustrating.

"A game of football lasts for 90 minutes plus - not 88.

"We've got a bit of a fear factor in those situations and we have got to change that mindset.

"I'm trying to get the boys to think that they should not be sitting on what they have got but, instead, should be going out to put the game beyond doubt."