Paul Hanlon has stepped up his bid to feature in this weekend's Edinburgh derby by playing in a Hibs development match.
The Easter Road club welcome city rivals Hearts to Leith on Sunday for Lee Johnson's first taste of the big match as a manager. He is slowly gathering a full squad after a summer plagued by injury and work permit issues, with the club captain one player yet to feature under him.
Hanlon started in a Development Squad game versus Championship club Queen's Park this afternoon, with Jake Doyle-Hayes and Demetri Mitchell also involved after recent knocks. Fellow first-team players Kevin Dabrowski, Lewis Miller and Momodou Bojang also got minutes into their legs as Hibs look to build on Saturday's 1-0 away win at St Johnstone. Also starting the match was Darren McGregor, who is in a dual player-coach role with the development and U18s squads. One of his main aims is helping aspiring Hibees youngsters develop.