Nish Pleads For Last Chance

Apr 6 2008 By Gavin Berry

HIBS goal hero Colin Nish is desperate to face Rangers in the last game of the season as he looks for every possible advantage in the race for third place in the SPL.

The post-split fixtures will be announced this week and Nish reckons the Ibrox side will wrap up the title sooner rather than later. So he hopes to take them on after they've been crowned champions.

He thinks Walter Smith will field a weakened Gers side after clinching the title which could prove crucial as Well battle it out with Motherwell and Dundee United for a UEFA Cup spot.

Nish helped keep up Hibs' chase with the the opening goal in a 2-0 win over St Mirren at Easter Road on a day when Well's win at Celtic Park was the only disappointment.

The former Kilmarnock man (left) said: "I hope to play Rangers in the last game of the top-six fixtures rather than the first because it looks like they will be crowned champions.

"It's going to be a battle for third place but we have belief in ourselves although it was disappointing when we heard that Motherwell had won at Celtic.

"Dean Shiels was sitting on the bench when we came off the park and said he was running in to find the score but we couldn't believe it when he said it had finished 1-0 to Motherwell."

Nish and Merouane Zemmama both score long-range goals but had keeper Andy McNeil to thank for good saves late on.

He said: "Andy deserves it because I've never seen anyone who is more professional and works harder in training."

Gutted Gus McPherson, whose side face Gretna in midweek, added of the Hibs goalie: "He made one world-class save and when you get a keeper on that kind of form it's always going to be hard.

"It's hard to explain our start, we made basic mistakes and you can't afford to do that against a team of Hibs' quality. They punished us with their finishing."