I WAS A CAPITAL SHYBEE

HIBS hitman Steven Fletcher is desperate to score his 10th goal of the season against Hearts at the weekend to prove he has finally come of age at Easter Road.

A year ago Fletch was happy just to be included in the first-team squad - now he hopes to hit his target against the Jambos.

Fletch admits it has taken him a full season to feel an integral part of Tony Mowbray's side.

And the 19-year-old reckons he is no longer the whipping boy and the jokes are now on other youngsters making the first-team breakthrough.

After passing the 50-appearance mark for Hibs Fletcher wants to try to establish himself as the new Garry O'Connor in the striking department.

He has bagged two goals on his last two visits to Celtic Park and his strike in the 1-1 draw against the champions at the weekend kept Hibs on course for a UEFA Cup spot.

It also moved Fletcher a step closer to hitting his target of 10 goals for the campaign.

Fletcher said: "The manager said to me at the start of the season he would put me in and pull me out of the side whenever it suited him.

"I had to accept that. When Garry O'Connor was here he was scoring regularly, as was Derek Riordan, but now there is a space for me and hopefully I am still playing at the start of next season.

"I am still only 19 and when I first came in I was really shy but it is only now that I feel as if I am a big part of things.

"We even play jokes on some of the younger guys so it is good to feel a part of the team.

"I have played more than 50 games for Hibs. Hopefully I can make a few more appearances next season.

"I'd love to score my 10th goal of the season in the Edinburgh derby as I have not scored against Hearts in a first-team game.

"The manager set me a target of 10 goals this season and I amdesperate to achieve that. I have scored against Hearts in the reserves and the Under-18s and I would love to get my 10th strike against Hearts on Saturday."

Fletcher admitted he revels in the biggame atmosphere after playing at Parkhead and Ibrox this season.

He said: "I just love the surfaces at Parkhead and Ibrox and they are great places to go to play your football

"It was good to get my ninth goal of the season at Parkhead.

"I have scored twice there, although the first one in the 3-2 defeat was definitely better than the second.

"It was a great point for us at the weekend and when I scored I thought I was offside because it was so quiet.

"I have never heard Parkhead so quiet but as soon as I scored I was away to celebrate.

"Celtic were obviously wanting to win the match as they were receiving the SPL trophy that day so it was strange.

"The 60,000 Celtic supporters are loud and the noise just seems to surround you.

"The atmosphere at Celtic Park is magnificent but I like playing at Ibrox as well. It is a great feeling for me to play in the big matches and to score."

Sunday's strike rescued an invaluable point for Mowbray's men as they attempt to see off the challenge of Aberdeen and Kilmarnock to clinch fourth spot and a possible UEFA Cup berth.

They could help their chances of achieving that on Saturday with a win against Champions League chasing Hearts.

Fletcher wants to give the Hibees faithful a day to remember after the day from hell in the Scottish Cup semi-final earlier this month when they were hammered 4-0.

He said: "The Cup semi-final at Hampden was a hard one to take.

"It was a tough defeat and the players feel we owe something to the fans who came through to Glasgow in huge numbers to support us that day.

"The fans will be right behind us and we want to try to make amends for letting them and ourselves down that day.

"Our aspirations are still the same and our main aim is to push for that fourth place and see if it's good enough to get us into Europe come the end of the season."

Taken from the Daily Record