Hibs manager John Hughes believes Colin Nish is as good a finisher as he has in his squad and insists there was no way he was tempted to sell the attacker to tomorrow’s opponents Aberdeen.
Dons manager Mark McGhee made an inquiry for the former Kilmarnock player on transfer deadline day but was turned down by the Easter Road outfit.
Nish vindicated Hughes’s decision by netting his side’s first two goals in Saturday’s 5-1 victory against Montrose in the Scottish Cup to keep alive the club’s hopes of landing the trophy for the first time in 108 years.
Despite having the likes of Derek Riordan, Anthony Stokes, Abdessalam Benjelloun and new signing Alan Gow at his disposal, Hughes is adamant the 28-year-old can hold his own in front of goal and still has room for improvement.
He said: “Colin is doing well for Hibs. He’s maybe not good on the eye but he’s been great for me since I’ve come in and I enjoy working with him.
“I think I can make him better and the biggest thing is he wants to become better, and he scores goals. I speak to a lot of Hibs supporters and they all tell me that’s the hardest they’ve seen him work. He’s still doing that and scoring goals. He’s a well-liked player in the dressing-room and I think the majority of the supporters appreciate the job he does.
“He’s a great finisher. I see him out on the training pitch and he’s as good as anyone out there in terms of finishing. He’s been really good for us this year and there was nothing going to happen with the Aberdeen inquiry.”
Despite being only two points adrift of second-placed Celtic with a game in hand, Hughes remains adamant his side has no chance of splitting the Old Firm and finishing second this season. However, he is no longer shying away from declaring his aim to best of the rest and insists a club of Hibs’ stature should expect nothing less. He added: “With the Hibs support and the size of the club, we’re at the stage where third place is the least that’s expected.
“We’re always wanting to get into that European spot, every year we take part, and to the latter stages of the cups.
“We might never do it – I’m not putting my head on the block, I’ve been in football long enough to know you’re a week from doing well to being a dud, and that goes for management, players, everyone. But I can see we’ve improved since the start of the season.”