Hibs: Colin Calderwood still rates striker Duffy

Hibs boss Colin Calderwood has revealed he still rates Darryl Duffy despite the frontman having endured a troubled season at Easter Road.

The 26-year-old arrived on a season-long loan deal from English League One outfit Bristol Rovers, signed by John Hughes as he sought to rebuild his career under his former manager at Falkirk, expressing his hope of winning a permanent deal with the Capital club.

But Duffy was destined never to play in a green and white shirt for Hughes, breaking his right foot in a freak training ground accident the day before he was due to make his debut last season.

By the time the former Rangers, Hull City and Swansea striker was fit - his return delayed by a setback and then the Arctic weather - Hughes had parted company with Hibs to be replaced by Calderwood. Duffy finally got a taste of the action in the final game of 2010, a substitute as the Edinburgh club fought back from two goals down to snatch a dramatic last-minute draw with Dundee United.

Since then, however, the Scotland B cap has found his opportunities limited, starting just four games while in the last two months he has been confined to just three appearances as a substitute.

Duffy, however, stepped from the bench to play his part in David Wotherspoon's equalising goal against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park as Hibs stretched their unbeaten run to six matches although, according to Calderwood he hadn't been feeling 100 per cent.

Although Duffy has had fewer opportunities to impress Calderwood than he would have liked, the manager revealed he's well aware of the forward's capabilities, recalling how he'd watched him as a youngster with Rangers and then followed his progress in England.

He said: "Darryl has never really got going this season.

"He's a good player, I've seen him do fantastically well down south and even when he was with Rangers he was a promising one. He's not had anywhere near the season he is capable of."

That said, though, Duffy's future remains unclear, one of a string of more than 12 first-team players at Easter Road whose contracts expire at the end of this season with John Rankin and Kevin McBride having already been told they can leave.