Hibs boss keeping eye on O'Hanlon

O'Hanlon scored with a towering header as Calderwood's side defeated Morton 5-2 in a closed doors match at their East Mains training centre last week, but afterwards complained of a "tightness" in his buttock.

As a result, the 28-year-old sat out Hibs' first two pre-season matches, the win over Berwick Rangers and the defeat by Livingston. O'Hanlon continued to train this week and while Calderwood is hopeful he'll be available for the trip to Methil, he insisted he won't be taking any risks with the new SPL season - and a visit from title hopefuls Celtic - little more than a fortnight away.

The Hibs boss said: "Sean could have played on Tuesday night had it been a competitive match and I'm hopeful he'll play tomorrow. But we won't rush him. We've got a big week of training next week when they will do a lot of work and I don't want too many missing out on that."

Calderwood, who has continued to oversee training on a daily basis despite the seemingly never-ending speculation over his own future, also has concerns over Michael Hart and Martin Scott after the pair picked up first-half knocks at Livingston, both being immediately replaced to avoid the risk of further damage, while Edwin de Graaf missed that game with a hamstring problem.

Having seen his side concede the first goal against Livingston within the opening minute, Kenny Deuchar rising above everyone to head home, and a second - a stunning strike from Iain Russell - before half-an-hour was over, Calderwood has warned his players to be ready to play from the off tomorrow.

He said: "You have to be switched on from the start of the game. We did not really group together as I would have liked to have seen.

"The response in the second half was excellent and I enjoyed that but in the first half we did not deal with their forward play particularly well. I think a lot of that is mental application.

"What we learned through that period is that we have to be a lot tighter, to absorb it better and not lose two goals."

Meanwhile, former Hibs striker Derek Riordan has clinched a two-year deal with Chinese club Shaanxi Chanba, a move which will, reportedly, quadruple his wages. Riordan signed for the Xi'an-based club but has travelled to Shenyang to join up with his team-mates ahead of Sunday's match against Liaoning Hngyu.

He could make his debut in that game although it is more likely he'll make his debut next Thursday night against Shenzhen Ruby.