Riordan's no show part of Hibs experiment

The name of the striker was a glaring omission when Calderwood's side was announced at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, the 28-year-old not even among the seven substitutes.

But aware Riordan's absence at a time when his current contract has less than three weeks to run and with no new deal in place would trigger rumour and speculation, the Easter Road boss insisted club and player remain in negotiation.

Calderwood's explanation was that Riordan had been left behind simply because he didn't want to subject him to the 300-mile round-trip for the sake of a few minutes action from the bench.

Riordan, scorer of ten goals, has been a substitute in Hibs' last two matches as Calderwood has used the post-split fixtures to experiment with his team as he looks to next season, this campaign having ended in disappointment with the Edinburgh club failing to make the SPL's top six for the first time in seven years.

Calderwood reckons he'd learn nothing he doesn't already know by playing Riordan, believing it better to give others the chance to stake a claim, fielding a team last night which boasted seven players aged 21 or under while four of this season's Under-19 squad, including 17-year-old Danny Handling, were on the bench.

The match, however, ended in a 2-0 defeat, Hibs having now failed to beat Caley in nine attempts in the Highlands, a run stretching back to 2005, leaving Calderwood to bemoan their inability to convert early superiority into a goal.

He said: "I was disappointed we did not open the scoring and the half-time scoreline was quite harsh - but that's the game."

And of the youngsters he'd played, he said: "One or two did all right, one or two were poor but you are going to get that with inexperience. However, that's not the reason we lost the game."