Hibs send Tim Clancy to see specialist as groin injury lingers

HIBS boss Pat Fenlon has revealed that Tim Clancy has been sent to a specialist in a bid to resolve his groin injury.

The defender has missed four of the Easter Road side’s last five matches due to the problem. Fenlon had hoped that the Irishman would make faster progress and has sent the player to have his injury assessed.

Fenlon said: “You learn in football that if you say something is going to happen, you are left with a bit of egg on your face. We’ve sent Tim away to a specialist because he hasn’t made the progress we expected, so we’re checking it out and trying to get to the bottom of it.”

While Clancy’s slower-than-expected recovery is something of a mystery, midfielder Gary Deegan has been given the all-clear to return to non-contact training and Fenlon is more hopeful of a speedy return to the team for James McPake, although the Hibs skipper is again a major doubt for tomorrow’s clash with Aberdeen as the result of a back spasm.

He continued: “James has done a little bit of training so we’ll give him a chance right up until tomorrow. He’s still a bit sore, to be honest. Again, if he’s not right, we won’t risk him. We’ll see how he is.”

McPake suffered a serious back injury during his Coventry days but Fenlon revealed this injury is not a result of that one.

“It’s a muscle spasm in his back which has eased out a hell of a lot in the last two weeks. But we have to make sure he’s right to play. It’s not related to any previous injury, it’s just a tension in the lower back that has caused him a problem.

“It has improved greatly in the last ten days but we want him to be close to 100 per cent.”