Hibs' Bamba and Nish set to face Saints

Nish picked up an ankle injury during the Cooperative Insurance Cup defeat by Kilmarnock while Bamba suffered a groin problem in the same match.

Both were "touch and go" for the weekend but it was decided not to risk either of them. However, the striker and defender were expected to be back in training today as Hibs begin to prepare for McDiarmid Park and a match which, they hope, will see them get their season back on track.

Hughes said: "Colin and Sol were very close to making it at the weekend but hopefully they'll both be ready for Saturday."

The absence of Nish saw Derek Riordan deployed as a lone striker against the physical presence of Celtic defenders Glenn Loovens and Daniel Majstorovic, a situation which Hughes admitted today had caused him some concern.

Even so, Riordan conjured up a moment of magic, pulling off an audacious chip over the head of Celtic's 6ft 7in goalkeeper Fraser Forster for his third goal of the season, a strike described by Hughes as "one that only Derek is capable of".

Unfortunately for Hibs, though, Riordan's goal came minutes after Loovens had nodded in Celtic's second goal, their first having come only five minutes into the match as former Easter Road star Scott Brown drilled in a powerful shot.

Those goals made it just one win in nine matches so far this season, Hughes admitting the biggest disappointment was the timing of each, Loovens' effort having come six minutes after the interval.

He said: "We'd spoken at half-time, saying the situation we were in was okay, that we needed to keep them quiet for the next ten minutes or so but the second goal killed us."

Although again disappointed at the final outcome, Hughes was more than happy with the effort his players had put in.

He said: "I've always said the spirit is there, they battled away, got stuck in and we got that wee lifeline through Derek's wonderful goal. We played some nice stuff at times.

"I've been a bit down about the results but never at what the boys are giving me."