John Hughes dismisses Jabulani factor but says Maribor have advantage

HIBERNIAN manager John Hughes has made light of the fact his players will be asked to play with the controversial Jabulani ball when they face Slovenian side NK Maribor in the third qualifying round of the Europa League tonight.

Maribor have been using the ball, manufactured by Adidas and which caused such debate during the World Cup in South Africa during the summer, since January, but Hughes' players got their first touch of it during last night's hour-long training session at the Ljudski Stadium.

Hughes admitted the home side will gain an advantage as a result, but argued both that it could well suit Derek Riordan, the Easter Road outfit's deadball specialist. He also claimed the tables will turn in a week's time when Maribor travel to Edinburgh for the second leg when Hibs will utilise the Mitre ball which has been used throughout the SPL for a number of years.

Disclosing he was "intrigued" to get out on to the pitch to see what all the controversy has been about, Hughes said: "If someone steps up and strikes a 30-yard rocket that squiggles and goes all over the place to our advantage you won't hear me complaining. If Derek can get hold of one of them and gets a wee bit of purchase on it then he is more than capable.

"The whole training session was designed with a bit of shooting for the strikers and goalkeepers to get used to it. We'll still do a wee session at the hotel, where there are fantastic training facilities, in the morning, a wee tickle to put the finishing touches."

Joking that he as a player could "play with anything", Hughes was keen to play down the significance of the make of the ball, obviously eager to sample his first European match as a manager, a scenario he is desperate to enjoy on an annual basis with a club which was Britain's pioneers on this stage but one which in recent years has had to live off meagre rations.

To that end, he admitted Maribor held a further advantage in terms of European experience, their record of being Slovenia's most successful club with eight domestic titles and six national cup triumphs to their name, making them regular competitors both in the Champions and Europa Leagues.

The fact they have also enjoyed four competitive fixtures already, defeating Hungarian club Videoton over two legs for the right to play Hibs plus two league games, should also ensure the Maribor players are slightly ahead of their Scottish visitors in terms of match fitness.

Together those factors led Hughes to admit Hibs will face a tough task in temperatures which are likely to be in excess of 22C, as they strive to achieve their primary goal of ensuring the tie remains alive in seven days' time.

But having fought until the very final day of the season to secure this opportunity, Hughes insisted he and his players were determined to prolong their European interest for as long as possible.

He said: "Maribor play in the Champions and Europa Leagues most seasons, and, as manager of Hibs, I want to be in Europe every year. This is a great adventure for us. We worked ever so hard to get here, we are flying the flag for Scotland and we will give it our best shot."

With that in mind, Hughes argued that despite Hibs' paucity of European action in recent years, confined only to two very brief forays into the now defunct Intertoto Cup, his squad contains enough know-how to contend with everything weighing up against them.

"I think most have a bit of European or international experience," he said. "We respect Maribor and realise it will be a very difficult match, but we have come here trying to make sure we are still in the game going back to Easter Road.

"I'd love to score a goal here and it might work out that, man v man, the top-class players will come out on top. If that is the case that's usually what wins games. I think we have the players who can go and win, although we will have to dig in."