Hibs' late goals not down to luck, insists David Wotherspoon

• ADAMANT: Wotherspoon. Picture: SNS

The Easter Road side have hit the opposition with a goal in the dying seconds in each of their last four games while, over the course of the season, they've scored ten in the final ten minutes, a fifth of the 49 bagged so far.

In recent weeks, Danny Galbraith's 90th-minute strike saw Hibs win at Celtic Park; an own goal from Jack Ross with seconds left consigned St Mirren to defeat; Alan Gow's first Hibs goal completed a 5-1 romp over Montrose and then Abdessalam Benjelloun's late penalty salvaged a point against Aberdeen.

But today Scotland Under-21 star Wotherspoon claimed each and every one of Hibs late goals was thanks to nothing more than hard work and a determination to play until the final whistle every time they take to the field.

The 20-year-old said: "It's something Rangers and Celtic have done over the years, they battle away to the last second and so often get a goal late on.

"And it's something we've brought into our game and we've been getting our rewards simply because we go out there totally committed to playing right to the end of the match. When you score in the last couple of minutes people say you are lucky, but how come they never say that if a team gets the only goal of the game in the first few minutes? A match lasts 90 minutes." Wotherspoon insisted the advent of clocks in virtually every ground wasn't a factor in Hibs late, late shows. He said: "I don't think any of us look up, see the 90 are up and think the game is over, we're concentrating too much on just playing. Similarly, we never ask the dug-out how long there is to go, we just keep working hard and if we score right at the end we are delighted." And Wotherspoon insisted his argument was similar to that of Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher in reasoning why Manchester United have benefited from ten own goals this season.

He said: "I'm certainly not comparing us to Manchester United, but when you are piling on the pressure at the end of a game the more often you get the ball into the opposition's box the more likely something will happen."