Fletcher: Hibs will have a united front

STEVEN FLETCHER reckons he learned so much about the game by simply sitting and watching Derek Riordan from his seat on the bench – now he can't wait to line up alongside him in attack.

Fletch was just breaking into the Hibs side in Riordan's last season at the club and manager Tony Mowbray opted to ease the youngster into the side by taking the pressure off and playing him in midfield.

Since then, of course, Fletcher has made the striker's role his own at the club and developed into one of the country's hottest prospects, even being linked with a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid.

However, the Easter Road side have not only managed to hold onto the 21-year-old during the transfer window, they also this week pulled off the deal of deadline day to bring fans' favourite Riordan back to the Capital to join him.

Mixu Paatelainen now has a number of attacking options, with Fletcher, Riordan, Colin Nish and Dean Shiels, not to mention the goal threat provided by Fabian Yantorno and Alan O'Brien.

And, worryingly for the other SPL clubs this season, Fletcher believes that the formation his manager favours means that he, Riordan and Nish can all feature in the same side at the same time, forming a deadly three-pronged attack.

Fletcher, who is on international duty with Scotland under-21s in Falkirk tonight, said: "We have been playing good football, it's not like we have not been creating chances, it's just that we haven't been taking as many as we would have liked.

"But that will come for us and Deek is back now so hopefully he can help us on that front.

"I know that he'll be desperate to get back out there and playing again so he is probably disappointed that there is an international break this weekend but at least it will give him the chance to settle back into the way of things and to get to know some of the new boys as well.

"We played together for a while but I was in midfield at that point because Tony Mowbray wanted to ease me into the side in the middle to get me games, rather than throw me straight in up front." And Fletcher laughed: "So at that point it was me providing the goals for Deek!

"I'm looking forward to working with him again and hopefully scoring a few goals together. I learned a lot from him the last time, just from sitting on the bench watching him play and from watching him in training.

"We are two strikers who love to score goals and big Nishy has been doing well too so, with the chances that the team are creating right now, hopefully we can get a fair few between us.

"The formation that the gaffer plays could really suit all three of us and there is no problem with us all playing in the same team together.

"I'm really looking forward to it and I'm sure the supporters are too."

Riordan was at one point linked with a move across the city from Celtic to Hearts but Fletcher was always confident that his old buddy would never consider joining the Tynecastle side, adding: "For the past couple of months there has been so much speculation about him, and I didn't know whether he was coming or not, right up until the club announced he had signed.

"There was a lot of stuff said about him going to Hearts, but people who know Deek knew that he would never have gone there."

The Easter Road side refused to be rushed into making signings over the summer and that caused some concern among the club's supporters.

But, having added strength and quality to their pool over the last few weeks and months by bringing in David van Zanten, Joe Keenan, Steven Thicot, Steve Pinau and now adding Riordan and Sol Bamba to the mix, Fletcher admitted that it's not only the supporters who have been given a huge lift by the new arrivals.

"All of the boys and the fans have been lifted over the last couple of days by Derek coming in," he added, "and Sol Bamba is a good signing as well, he's big, strong guy.

"He's only 23 and a good prospect so I am looking forward to the rest of the season and to finishing as high up the table as we can.

"We might not have had the best of starts but things are really looking up for us. I think the fans were a bit disappointed with the start that we had to the season but, with Deek coming back and Sol and a few others signing as well, we are all going to be lifted by that and will hopefully go into the next game against Dundee United on a bit of a high and get the three points that we need and take it from there."

Billy Stark has handed Fletch the captain's armband for tonight's vital Scotland under-21 game against Slovenia and the striker is delighted to have been given the added responsibility, joking that he is now one of the elder statesmen of the squad.

Fletcher, of course, has made the breakthrough to the full squad, but the importance of these games combined with the guarantee of some game time, convinced George Burley to allow him to join up with the 21s instead of his squad for the Macedonia game at the weekend. The young Scots face Slovenia at the Falkirk Stadium in the penultimate match of their qualifying campaign for the UEFA European Championships.

They fly out to Denmark for the final game on Tuesday night with the final two results set to decide their fate and Fletch said: "I am just happy to be involved with any of the national squad if I am picked.

"George phoned me and told me that he thought it would be good for me to get join up with the 21s this time and play some games, rather than be with the full squad and probably just sit on the bench.

"The gaffer has given me the captain's armband as well. I'm skipper for the night so I am delighted with that!

"I was vice captain to Steven Naismith under Maurice Malpas so I have stepped in a couple of times when he has had to go off during a game but this will be the first time that I have actually led the side out so I am really looking forward to it.

"It seems like I'm one of the old heads now!"

Of the Scots' chances of making it through to the finals of the tournament, he added: "We know that we have given ourselves a good chance and that if we win tonight then we will be in a good position, but we don't want to take anything for granted.

"There's still a lot of hard work ahead of us. We have done well so far and a win tonight would be great, we beat Slovenia 4-0 the last time and, although we know that it will be difficult, I would hope that we can get a victory again.

"Whatever happens we know that we have got Denmark in the final game away and that will be a tough one over there.

"We have got a really good team here, we've all come through the ranks together and we've been together as a squad for quite a while.

"Most of the boys are good friends away from the football as well which makes a massive difference and there is a good spirit among everyone."