Patient danny Galbraith believes now is the time for chance to revive Hibs' season

DANNY Galbraith thought his winner at Celtic would earn him his first start for Hibernian.

Then he assumed his game-changing introduction against Kilmarnock would lead to his big break.

Now the teenager is simply hoping the poor form of his Easter Road team-mates finally convinces manager John Hughes to pick him for today's Clydesdale Bank Premier League game at Falkirk.

Galbraith has been biding his time ever since joining Hibs from Manchester United last summer. He had no complaints about his limited role while the club were flying high in third place and looking like they might even split the Old Firm.

But, with Hibs having won only one of their last nine games in all competitions, the 19-year-old is praying his time has come at last.

He wrongly assumed he had made it when he came off the bench to seal a 2-1 victory at Parkhead two months ago.

"I scored against Celtic and I really did think that was the time for me to push on," he said. "I think that was the longest I'd had on the park in any game.

"I felt as if I worked hard and put in a fairly good performance. To get a goal and a winner on top of that, I was flying. Next thing I know, I wasn't even making squads, so it was a huge disappointment.

"The next involvement I got was against Kilmarnock a few weeks ago. I came on and I felt I made an impact in that game as well. I'm still young and that's probably one of the things the manager emphasises to me – that I've got to be patient."

The midfielder is even ready to ditch the yellow boots that earned him an ear-bashing from his manager after the Kilmarnock game, but will not go as far as begging for a start. "I would never knock on his door and I say I wanted to play – I'm not that type of person," Galbraith said. "Being patient is not the easiest thing in the world but hopefully my time will come."

Galbraith's only two appearances since the Kilmarnock game have been coming off the bench in the Active Nation Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against Ross County. He was on the field in Dingwall as Hibs crashed out of the competition, three days after being comprehensively beaten in the Edinburgh derby.

"As weeks go, this has probably been the toughest we've had since the start of the season," Galbraith said. "Losing in the derby and losing probably our biggest game of the season on Tuesday, I don't think it could've been much worse."

With Hibs having slipped to fifth in the SPL, Galbraith claims there is one easy way for them to salvage their season.

"The simple answer to that is by finishing third," he said. "Anything less than that, the season's probably going to be regarded as a disappointment."

Describing the prospect of ending up outside the top three as "terrible", he added: "We should really be finishing third. We've got some international players who have come in."

Having spent three years at Old Trafford, Galbraith knows all about the winning mentality Hughes is trying to instil. Asked whether his current manager was more intimidating than Sir Alex Ferguson, he joked: "I've never had the hairdryer from Fergie so I'd have to say the gaffer."