Michael Weir: New winger should be Hibs' priority

I think we’re well stocked in most areas of the squad, but Saturday’s draw with Falkirk proved that we’re crying out for a reliable creative wide player who can unlock a tight defence and give the forwards – particularly big Grant Holt – the type of service they crave.

Martin Boyle has 
been used as a wide player 
in the past but, as I’ve alluded to in recent weeks, he is better through the middle and is 
not a natural winger. A 
striker like Holt or Brian 
Graham needs someone getting to the bye-line and delivering a regular flow of crosses.

We mainly get our width from the full-backs, and 
David Gray and Lewis 
Stevenson are very good at 
getting forward, but I just feel we need that extra bit of guile, spark and genuine creativity on the flanks to give us that bit extra.

I’d also like to see us bring in another striker because it’ll be a long season for a player of Holt’s age, and none of our strikers are really firing on all cylinders at the moment. A bit of freshness up front wouldn’t do us any harm at all.

Saturday’s game was 
always going to be a tough one because of our recent history with Falkirk. They 
always seem to raise our game against us and it make it really hard. Even when they went down to ten men, they dug in and fought for their point. Peter Houston knows his team need to be strong and physical against Hibs, and there’s no doubt that’s what they were.

It’s disappointing that we didn’t win it, especially with the extra man, but, coming from behind the way we did, we’ve got to see it as a vital point gained as it’s kept us clear of Dundee United at the top of the league.

Our game at Tannadice at the start of next month is already shaping up as a massive one. It won’t decide the title or anything like that because there are still plenty games to be played after that but it could certainly play a part in determining who has the upper hand going into the festive period.