Hibs midfielder feels team have real potential

EDWIN DE GRAAF has already seen enough in training to believe that Hibs will become a force to be reckoned with this season - but admits that the Easter Road side have to start taking that kind of form out on to the pitch.

John Hughes' men suffered a disappointing defeat to St Mirren on Sunday after failing to find their rhythm throughout the 90 minutes in Paisley.

A goal from Craig Dargo consigned them to defeat at new St Mirren Park and De Graaf reckoned that it was not only a poor performance from the team as a whole, but also his worst display since joining the club.

The Dutch midfielder insisted that he and his team-mates are beginning to gel as a unit in training sessions and that he has seen flashes of that form filter into their SPL games.

But he believes that there is much more to come, and said: "The result was not so good for us on Sunday and everyone was disappointed. We didn't play well and we know that we have got to get it together in time for the next league game now.

"I didn't think that we created enough chances and we have to make sure that we change that.

"It wasn't just the team, also for me I thought that this was not such a good game; it was probably my worst game so far.

"What can I say, though, I tried to do my best, but Sunday was just not my day."

He continued: "I feel that I have settled in very well and we have been playing well together in training, but we have to make sure that we play that same way in every game that we play, too.

"Sometimes in league games it is not translating from the training pitch so well and that is something that we have to work on. I think that the more we play together, the better it will get.

"We have got a few new faces in the side this transfer window and I think that if we can have a couple of weeks of working hard then I think that things will only get better and better for us."

De Graaf was this week joined as one of the new boys in the Hibs squad by latest signings Darryl Duffy, Francis Dickoh and Jonathan Grounds, the latter two signing on the final day of the transfer window.

Dickoh, a central defender, has penned a one-year deal, while left-back Grounds is on loan from Middlesbrough until January, and De Graaf believes that the trio will give the entire squad a boost: "I think that it is always good to get some new players in the team. It is good for the fans, but also for the rest of the guys in the team.

"When someone new comes in it encourages everyone to step up the level a bit and it gives everyone a boost."

De Graaf has also been impressed by the number of young players making the grade at Easter Road and believes the likes of Paul Hanlon and David Wotherspoon can have hugely successful careers ahead of them: "There are a lot of good lads at this club. They work very hard and you can see how much effort they put into training to make a good career for themselves and to make sure that they get better with each session.

"When I was that age I also trained really hard and I think that a lot of these boys have a big future ahead of them."

De Graaf and his team-mates will enjoy a few days off at the end of this week as the league is on a break for the international qualifying matches for 2012 European Championships.

The Dutchman will head home to Holland - and will bring his wife and two young children with him when he returns to Scotland after moving into a family home for the first time in this country on Tuesday.

He believes that having his family with him on a full-time basis will lead to him being even more settled on the pitch: "It will be good to bring my family back to Scotland with me.

"I have been living in a flat, but I moved into a house at the start of the week and that means that I can have my wife and two children with me for the first time since I moved to Hibs.

"My sons are only one and three years old so it will be good to have them with me at last."