Wotherspoon relishing Euro debut

AT ONLY 20 years of age, David Wotherspoon cannot be expected to have a rich European pedigree, but he is one of only a few Hibernian players to have sampled intense nights on the pitch-side against giants of the game.

He might only have been involved as a ball boy, but it still counts as European exposure and instilled in the youngster a desire to play a more central role on such nights.

Wotherspoon is set to make his competitive European debut tomorrow as an adventurous wing-back when Hibs take on NK Maribor in the first leg of their Europa League qualifying tie, but can reflect on a time when he was employed for his ball retrieval skills while on the books at Celtic.

"I have been in the stands for quite a few big Champions League games when I was there," he said. "I did some ball boy work. It was a great experience for me because we were out on the park against Barcelona, AC Milan and Liverpool. The Barcelona game was when Henrik Larsson came back to Parkhead, so it was a big deal," he added. "It was all the young boys at under-14 level who were asked to do it as a wee treat. It was great to experience that and enjoyable watching the game while being on the pitch beside the players.

"You always want to be the best you can be and play at the top level. Obviously while watching those games you wanted to be out on the pitch playing against these sort of players and with these sort of players. This is a chance on Thursday to go and play with the big guns."

Should Hibs dispose of Maribor they will then be faced with more one more round to negotiate before the group stage, when they will be guaranteed four more games. The Slovenians will be a tricky enough task, and Wotherspoon saw for himself the threat they possess when manager John Hughes played a tape of their win over Videoton in the last round.

They will be a formidable obstacle to overcome before Hibs can begin to contemplate the likes of Liverpool arriving at the revamped Easter Road. This is the incentive for Wotherspoon, whose career has developed as planned at Hibs since leaving Parkhead in search of European football.

"You always take one little step at a time and set little goals for yourself," he said. "One of them was first team football and now it is moving on to Europe, which is great for the club. I know the manager has ambitions for the club and so do the players. They want to be going places. This is a great opportunity to reach the next level.

"It would mean a lot for the players to get to the group stage. They are really excited about it. We strove last year to get that European position and though the back end of the season was not so good we were always still looking at claiming that place. Now we are focused on this game. All the stuff before is just pre-season and about getting your fitness back. But now it's the real deal."

Meanwhile, Hughes has heaped praise on Derek Riordan as the striker prepares to fire his team in Europe. New father Riordan has found a new sense of responsibility on and off the park after being handed the captain's armband for spells during Hibernian's pre-season tour of Holland. The 27-year-old is entering the final year of his contract during his second spell at his boyhood club, and Hughes would relish the opportunity to continue helping the Scotland cap improve.

Hughes said: "I have always enjoyed Derek as a lad and a player and some of the stuff you see on the training pitch from him is top drawer. Can I make him a better player? 100 per cent"

Hughes also hinted that moves to extend the former Celtic striker's contract had already begun: "When you have got players, not just with that quality, but with Hibs running through their veins… that's all in discussion."