Hibs: It's Green for Agogo as Calderwood targets striker Junior

HIBS boss Colin Calderwood is on the trail of Ghanaian internationalist Junior Agogo as he seeks to strengthen his strikeforce before the start of the new season, the Evening News can reveal today.

Provided the Easter Road club can clear the necessary paperwork, the 31-year-old hitman could feature in the visit of English Championship side Barnsley tomorrow, along with fellow trialist Cillian Sheridan.

The former Celtic star, while short of match fitness, impressed as he stepped off the bench to help secure a 3-1 win over East Fife last weekend, and Calderwood is keen to see him in action again.

The Republic of Ireland star is anxious to negotiate his release from Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia and when asked how the matter was progressing, Calderwood said: "Cillian has done okay, his agent knows what we can afford to pay."

Calderwood has identified his frontline as in need of strengthening, the issue becoming more pressing with the revelation that Akpo Sodje is likely to be out of action for up to six weeks after it was confirmed he'd suffered medial knee ligament damage in last week's friendly with Livingston. Sodje's injury has left Calderwood with Garry O'Connor as his only recognised frontman, a situation he's anxious to rectify before Hibs' first match of the season, the visit of Celtic next Sunday.

The much-travelled Agogo is a familiar figure to Calderwood who signed him for Nottingham Forest, the 31-year-old helping the City Ground outfit to promotion to the Championship.

Born in Accra, Manuel "Junior" Agogo signed for Sheffield Wednesday before moving to the United States, returning to England to play for Bristol Rovers and Forest who sold him to Egyptian club Zamalek for a fee of 565,000. However that two-year deal turned sour for Agogo, who had starred for Ghana at the 2008 African Nations Cup, a series of disputes resulting in him signing for Cypriot outfit Apollon Limassol. However, they axed him in February after he suffered a serious knee injury.

Now recovered, Agogo, scorer of 12 goals in 27 internationals, is a free agent, recently impressing as he netted for Danish side OB Odense in a pre-season friendly. He's been training with Hibs, but Calderwood wants to see him in action.

The Hibs manager said: "We're hoping to have him available tomorrow, if not then on Tuesday against Falkirk."

Having faced Berwick Rangers, Livingston and East Fife, tomorrow's match will represent a much tougher test for Hibs. Calderwood said: "It will be a good barometer as to how we are going."

Hibs have alerted fans to the fact that due to a wedding taking place at the ground tomorrow, the popular "Behind the Goals" bar won't be available.

Meanwhile, Hibs' Under-19 side ended a tough schedule of four games in as many days in the Jet-11 Youth International Tournament in Norway by going down 4-1 to local side Sogndal. Danny Handling scored their goal, his third of the competition.