HIBERNIAN'S tenacious midfielder Ross Chisholm has claimed there is little more he can do in terms of raising performance levels in order to persuade the Easter Road club to offer him a new contract.
Whatever Chisholm lacks in height – he is 5ft 9ins – the Scottish Under-21 internationalist usually makes up for with the diligence of his application. After a stalwart performance in the win against Hearts at Tynecastle last week and a critical cl
earance off the line to earn a point against Rangers on Wednesday, it would be surprising if the youngster was not involved tomorrow against Celtic.
As yet, however, he does not know if he will get a new deal from Hibs or will have to look for another club in the summer. "No-one (from the club] has spoken to me," said Chisholm. "If I get the chance to play against Celtic then I have to show what I'm capable of. I've told the manager before I'm happy to play here. I've got belief in my own ability and think I can be part of the starting XI.
"Obviously, for myself, there's only ten days of the season left. I'm going on holiday soon and would like to have something sorted out before then. If that doesn't happen, then I'll be busy during my holiday.
"It's disappointing this hasn't been sorted out before. The manager said we had to wait and see if we got into the top six, and that happened. Hopefully, it can be sorted out as soon as possible.
"For me, I don't think I could have done any more to get myself a new deal. Yes, I can do a little bit better in some aspects of my game. But if I'm in the starting XI then I go out there and do the job I'm asked to do. There's nothing more I can do except play well."
Given that manager Mixu Paatelainen has previously described the 21-year-old as "a wee terrier" with leadership qualities, it would be surprising if Hibs did not want to retain his services. On the other hand, he's only started seven games this season and made nine appearances as a substitute.
"We're hoping to solve that sooner rather than later, that's for sure," said the Finn. "But I don't want to go into speculation regarding the contract situation of this player or that player. There are many players in that position. We still have matches to play and the season to run.
"The players who have been performing reasonably are in my plans. Every player has a chance to show what he's about.
"Football is about opinion and that opinion can change. I would like to think during the course of the season I've seen a true picture of the players."
Chisholm won't lack for motivation if selected against the champions and reckons Hibs can put a spoke in the wheel of Gordon Strachan's side.
"There are guys here playing for places next season, playing for contracts," he said. "On the face of it, there might not seem a lot for us to play for. But there are individual aims and players who want to make sure they start next season in the manager's best XI."
Chisholm, who hails from Irvine, confessed his clearance from Nacho Novo – Rangers thought the Spaniard's strike was over the line – had not gone down too well with some of his friends. "A few of my mates are Rangers' supporters and they were giving me stick (for kicking the ball off the line]," he said. "But that's my job. I had to clear it off the line and that's what I did. The linesman had his job to do and he decided it wasn't a goal. That's the end of it. It's not as if that moment if going to lose Rangers the league. They had chances before that – Novo missed two open goals.
"It won't be any different against Celtic. If the same situation arises again and I'm on the line, then I'll clear it. It will be exactly the same story. The players at Hibs are only interested in getting three points, irrespective of whether we're playing Celtic or Rangers or Hearts."
Incidentally, speculation linking Lokomotiv Moscow with an interest in Derek Riordan was news to Paatelainen, who expects Hibs will see the best of the striker next season.
Whether or not Riordan feels he still has a point to prove to Celtic, the striker will undoubtedly be a key figure in tomorrow's match against his old club. "Steven (Fletcher] and I have a great understanding up front," Riordan said of his strike partner.
