Pat Fenlon aims to emulate Dan McMichael with Scottish Cup glory

THE name of his compatriot Dan McMichael will have meant little to Pat Fenlon in the days before his drawn-out coronation as manager of Hibernian. McMichael is his direct predecessor in terms of Irish managers at Easter Road.

There has, of course, been many others who have occupied the role between the reigns of the pair of Dubliners, and they all share something in common: they never led Hibs to Scottish Cup glory. It leaves McMichael out on his own – for now. He was very much the man of the year in Leith in 1902. Fenlon hopes he can emulate him, although, in truth, his primary aim is simply to win a match.

The next chance he has to do so just happens to be in the Scottish Cup, against Second Division leaders Cowdenbeath.

Fenlon’s hopes have not been buoyed by the news goalkeeper Graham Stack, skipper Ian Murray and top goalscorer Garry O’Connor will be missing from tomorrow’s awkward fourth- round assignment. The first two named will also definitely sit out another day of destiny in Fife next Saturday, when Hibs face fellow league strugglers Dunfermline at East End Park. Stack has a calf injury and will be replaced by Mark Brown at Central Park tomorrow, while Murray will miss the next few weeks after having had an operation on a long-standing hip problem.

Worryingly for the Easter Road side, O’Connor, who has scored half of Hibs’ 18 league goals in the current campaign, must also be rated a very serious doubt for the crucial match against Dunfermline as he seeks to give a long-running toe injury time to heal. Fears that O’Connor might have played his last game for the club were, though, eased by Fenlon, who stressed that, as far as he was aware, “there’s absolutely no interest in him and I don’t want him to go anywhere”.

Fenlon reckoned O’Connor is “ten days” away, which means he will surely struggle to make the starting XI at East End Park.

“Garry has had this toe problem for four or five weeks now,” said Fenlon. “He’s been playing through the pain and getting injections. We could have kept that going, but we wouldn’t have got the best out of him.

“We still have a lot of matches to play this season so I would rather have him available for 12-14 games at full pelt rather than keep him keep him going for two or three games at a time,” he added. “We didn’t really want to use him in the Hearts game, but the situation meant we had to throw him on to see if we could nick a goal.

“But the plan was always to rest him for a few weeks. It has settled down, but the problem with the Dunfermline game is we need to get him training to sharpen him up a little bit because he has lost that while he has had the injury. It’s trying to get the balance right.”

The retention of Leigh Griffiths therefore becomes more of a priority. The on-loan Wolves player will play his last match for the club this weekend unless Hibs can extend his stay.

One thing firmly ruled out by Fenlon is the possibility of Hibs purchasing Griffiths from Wolves, something the English Premier League club would prefer. “If he has to be bought then we won’t be buying him, that’s for certain,” explained Fenlon. “We are talking with Wolves but it’s really out of our hands. It’s their call. We’ve told them we want to keep him. It’s now up to both clubs to see if we can come to some agreement.”

Other signings are also in the pipeline, with Fenlon placing the emphasis on experience. “We’ve identified areas where we need to strengthen from a playing point of view,” he said. “We’re talking to players and clubs at the moment. It is unfair to say we are going to do this or that because so many things can happen between getting it done and getting it done on paper.” One player who won’t be joining for the time being is Lithuanian midfielder Mindaugas Kalonas. Although he is clearly a fan of the player – Fenlon also signed him for Bohemians, his previous club – the manager has had to be brutally honest in his assessment of his fitness following just one training session. In short, it isn’t good enough.

As for McMichael, Fenlon revealed that he has been well-briefed on the achievements of his compatriot. The luck of an Irishman is perhaps what Hibs need in the Scottish Cup. What Fenlon won’t accept, however, is any complaints about ill-fortune and the quality of pitch and surrounding area at Central Park, one of Scottish football’s most inhospitable venues.

The manager has seen it all before – and worse – in the League of Ireland, where he spent most of his career. “It’s a bit different to here,” he said, of the well-appointed Hibs training centre at East Mains. “But there’s no harm in that. That’s what football is about. I’m well used to it.”

He added: “It doesn’t hold any fears for me going to places where the dressing-rooms are small. That’s something I am used to and players will have to get used to. I think it’s all about having a bit of balls and character when you go to places like Cowdenbeath.”