John Hughes calls for improvement from Hibs

HIBS boss John Hughes today warned his players they'll have to up their game as they seek to tighten their grip on third place in the SPL table when they face Dundee United on Saturday.

While delighted to see his side avoid a potential banana skin in negotiating their way past Irvine Meadow in the Active Nation Scottish Cup, Hughes was less than pleased with the performance last weekend.

The Easter Road outfit now face a tricky trip to Tannadice where, depending on the outcome of tonight's rearranged SPL match between Hamilton and United, they could be making the journey aiming to open up an eight-point gap between themselves and the managerless Tayside club.

However, Hughes, while satisfied with how his first season in charge is going, admitted he still feels there's much more to come from his players and is now demanding they produce the goods.

He said: "We're at a crossroads just now. It's about trying to raise the bar a bit higher and you have to sometimes knock heads together to get to where you want to go with a football club.

"The players know the culture I'm trying to instil here and it's about working individually and collectively and saying 'let's go'. We've got four months of the season to go and I don't want anyone feeling sorry for themselves. Those who are in the team have to try and stay there and those waiting in the wings have to do all they can to try and get into the team.

"Although we got the business done against Irvine, I have seen us play better and that was the frustration. Playing lesser opposition you still need that fantastic attitude and application. It's a case of keeping standards high and if you cannot come up to it then it will be someone else. No-one can sit back and rest on their laurels."