Zemmama return for Hibs remains in cold storage

Colin Calderwood has admitted that the cold snap is further pushing back a potential comeback for Moroccan midfielder Merouane Zemmama and delaying the debut of on-loan striker Darryl Duffy.

"Zemmama will be back in mid-January and if we don't get games you can put that back further," Calderwood said yesterday after learning that today's scheduled match at Hamilton had been called off. "As for Darryl, he'll be beyond that. Zemmama has been doing some ball work. He joined in little bits on Friday, and had before the snow started but he has to get to the end of December and then he'll go to the next level.

"He's been drip fed in. He's missed out bits and pieces of the warm-up and training where there would be no contact for him - it's been more frustrating for him more than anyone, although it still wouldn't have been before the first couple of weeks in January that we'd have seen him.

Sixteen members of Hibs' first-team contingent are out of contract at the end of the current campaign and will be free to speak to other clubs from 1 January, and Calderwood said: "It's something that will be addressed more and more within the next five to six weeks. The players do have the option to go to other clubs and we've got to be aware of that."

Calderwood was asked specifically about the future of Derek Riordan, and replied: "We definitely have to have someone like him at the club."