St Mirren manager Danny Lennon has warned his players not to repeat their sloppy defensive show against Dunfermline when they take on Hibs at home. Saints twice had a two-goal lead against the SPL's bottom club but let slip three points in the final stages as Andy Kirk secured a 4-4 draw. Hibs are also fighting to avoid relegation but have one of the most dangerous strikeforces in the SPL in Leigh Griffiths and Garry O'Connor. The pair have hit 27 goals between them this season including one each in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Aberdeen. Lennon said: "They are a constant threat with their goal tally. We all know about Griffiths and O'Connor. We know what they possess and we'll have to be at our very utmost best. We can't have a repeat of what we did last Saturday and hopefully we cash in on that experience and learn from it. Although I was angry about some of the goals, they were fighting for every single point and no doubt Hibs will be doing the same themselves.''
Hibs have the chance to turn a disappointing season into a momentous one if they avoid the drop and beat Hearts at Hampden on 19 May to lift the Scottish Cup trophy for the first time since 1902. Manager Pat Fenlon achieved improvement in performances but not consistently after arriving in November, but Hibs have looked a more solid unit since January when he was able to wheel and deal, with on-loan Coventry defender James McPake a crucial addition. Lennon said: "Pat has had a bit of mixed fortunes at this minute. Managers need a bit of time when they first come in to stamp their own personality on it. Hibs are certainly a sleeping giant. Given the size of their playing budget, they have certainly underperformed in terms of league position over the last few years. But although their team is fighting for survival in the SPL, Pat has the chance of becoming a legend in winning the Scottish Cup, something they haven't achieved in 100-odd years.''
Fenlon has called on his side to rediscover their top form to secure SPL football for 2012-13 before the meeting with the Pars on 7 May. Dunfermline have not given up hope yet as was shown by their 3-0 win against Aberdeen yesterday at East End park, their first home win of the season. Hibs travel hoping to ensure the Easter Road fixture with the Pars becomes irrelevant by winning in Paisley. Fenlon said: "This is a big game for us. We've just got to make sure we do our own work on Sunday, no matter what happens anywhere else. It's important we approach it with the right attitude. It's a tough place to go and they're a decent side - they are capable of hurting you - so we're going to have to play really well to get something out of the game. The next nine days we're going to need the full squad because it is three games fairly quickly. We're going to have to chop and change to keep people fresh and make sure we have enough legs within the team to go and win matches.''
Eoin Doyle and Roy O'Donovan are in contention to start after their fellow striker Garry O'Connor suffered a foot injury in last week's loss to Kilmarnock which means he might not be risked. Fenlon's sole focus is on survival at present. He has not begun his summer planning, with strategies for each scenario. He said: "We're planning for one scenario and that's to win games. We're not planning for anything else at the moment.''
There is also the prospect of the first all-Edinburgh Scottish Cup final since 1896 on 19 May and Fenlon insists morale is good despite the spectre of relegation still being present. He added: "There's a bit of edginess, which is good I think. There's a little bit of devilment about them at the moment. It (the cup) is something to look forward to, but you want to look forward to it on the back of doing well in your league campaign. That's what we've got to concentrate on between now and the cup final, that we get ourselves in a safe position in the league and we can look forward to something at the end of it then.''