Patrick Cregg insists sidelined Hibs players are champing at the bit and ready to play their part in club's success

Patrick Cregg, one of Hughes' first signings after he took over the Easter Road job, has found himself eclipsed by some of the manager's subsequent captures, the Irishman having played just one full 90 minutes due to the form of players like Liam Miller, Kevin McBride, John Rankin and Merouane Zemmama in the Hibs engine room over the past few months.

But, as the Capital side prepare for a schedule that will see them play at least seven games in just four weeks, Cregg says he's one of a number of players champing at the bit ready to grab their chance if Hughes decides he needs to try and give some of his players a breather or, alternatively, injuries and suspensions start to kick in.

"I've not featured as much in the team as I would have liked but I just have to keep working hard," said the former Falkirk player, who came on for Zemmama towards the end of last Saturday's Active Nation Scottish Cup fourth-round win over Irvine Meadow.

"I'm enjoying being here and I enjoy training. But, like every other player, I want to play. I will just have to keep working away and will hopefully get a few more games between now and the end of the season.

"We have a good squad and there's plenty of competition for places. But, at the end of the day, the manager picks the team he feels will win and, hopefully, I can be part of that.

"You have to be patient and stay mentally strong. You have to keep yourself as good physically as you can and try and take your chance when it comes. I will certainly be working hard and, hopefully, I'll get the bit of luck you need at times in your career.

"There are plenty of players in the same situation as me. The likes of Danny Galbraith, for example, and other young players like Darren McCormack, Sean Welsh, Lee Currie and Kurtis Byrne.

"The manager is doing a great job and it is up to players like myself to try and force our way into the team."

Due to the Reserve League being scrapped, SPL clubs have had to fix up bounce games to keep players not getting regular first-team football ticking over and, in the case of Hibs, that has included a couple of tests against opposition from south of the Border.

"It's not ideal when you don't have a Reserve League because players need to keep their match fitness up and as well as games against SPL sides, we've also had matches against the likes of Newcastle and Middlesbrough," added Cregg. "It is always good to test yourself against English opposition at any level but, at the same time, there is no substitute for first-team football – there's just no replacement for that."

Last season, Cregg helped Falkirk reach the final of the Scottish Cup and now he's aiming to emulate the feat with Hibs, echoing the view of his manager that a fifth-round tie against either Edinburgh City or Montrose is a very favourable draw as hopes rise among supporters that this could be the year that the Easter Road club finally get their hands back on the trophy.

"All credit to Irvine Meadow (for their performance in losing 3-0 last weekend]," said the midfielder. "I didn't expect them to be as good as they were. I'm not saying they were great but they certainly put up a good show for Junior football.

"Now, if we approach the next round the way we should, it's a game we should win. There's no point in lying and saying anything different.

"I was fortunate to play in the Scottish Cup final after going all the way to Hampden with Falkirk last season and it will definitely be something I'll always remember.

"The manager will have us doing our best and he is very good at getting his teams up for one-off games, especially cup ties and hopefully we'll get through to the quarter-finals and then get another good draw."

While Cregg hasn't played as many first-team games as he'd have liked, his fellow Irishman, Anthony Stokes, has made himself popular with the Hibs fans with the goals that have lit up the SPL so far this season.

Having played with him at both Arsenal and Falkirk, Cregg has always been aware of the striker's ability but says that Hughes deserves credit for the form Stokes has displayed in a Hibs jersey since his arrival at the club earlier in the season.

"Stokesy is always going to score goals given the opportunity and, in fairness, I think the manager has managed him really well," he said. "He wasn't scoring (at first] but the manager stuck by him and he deserves a lot of credit for that. He is now rewarding the manager and the fans."

Along with the rest of his team-mates, Cregg is keeping one eye on the African Nations Cup at the moment to see how Sol Bamba is faring, the Hibs defender having played the full 90 minutes as Ivory Coast kicked off their campaign in Angola with a scoreless draw with Burkina Faso on Monday. "While I didn't see the game myself, I checked for the result and asked a couple of the lads how he'd done. By all accounts, he did pretty well," said Cregg, admitting he wasn't surprised by that in the slightest.

He added: "A lot of the African sides are very good athletically and Sol is definitely the best I've seen in Scotland when it comes to that part of the game. I don't think anyone would outjump him and don't think there is anyone stronger than him physically either. Athletically, he's second to none."

As Bamba continues on international duty, Hibs are turning their attention back to league business and, after a defeat and draw in their last two SPL games, they'll be looking to pick up three points against managerless Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday. "It's important to get back to winning ways in the SPL but it is going to be a difficult game against Dundee United and they will see this is a chance to get back to within two points of us," said Cregg.

"We'll certainly be up for it. The manager is always telling us how we need to keep raising the bar and that's what makes him a good manager. This is the most important part of the season now. Yes, it was important that we got our season off to a good start and we were delighted to do that but that's now in the past. The present is always the most important part."