HIBERNIAN striker Colin Nish believes the incentive of finishing fourth in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League is all the motivation required to defeat Motherwell tonight.
The Easter Road outfit bring the curtain down on their season when they take on the Uefa Cup qualifiers at home.
While events at Aberdeen and Dundee United are likely to be far more intense as the Rangers-Celtic title race goes to the last day, Ni
sh believes Hibs also have much to play for. If defeating the side who pipped them to European football is not enough of a spur, Nish knows the financial rewards for claiming fourth spot would boost club finances.
With Hibs and Dundee United locked on the same points – and United hosting Celtic on Tayside – a victory for Mixu Paatelainen's men could take them up to fourth and net a bonus of around £80,000.
Considering where Hibs languished when Paatelainen took over at the turn of the year, Nish feels achieving fourth place would be a creditable feat.
The forward, who left Kilmarnock for Hibs in January, said: "I think since the manager came in he's taken us up quite a few league places.
"That shows the improvement in the team and hopefully if we can continue that into next year then we'll get a few more points on the board than we did this season.
"We're trying to finish fourth on Thursday, so I think the manager may want his strongest team. The fact the game is at home also makes it a wee bit easier to motivate yourself. It's a game we want to win to go out on a high. Next season we've just got to get it in our heads that we want to finish where Motherwell have in third, and we'll be aiming to do that."
With Nish a yellow card away from picking up a three-game ban for the start of next season, he may not even feature against Mark McGhee's side.
But given Hibs' short summer break – they are off for just over four weeks before they return for their Intertoto Cup campaign – Nish would no doubt welcome a night off.
He added: "We've not got much of a break but at least when we come back we're not just running about.
"We're going to be playing games which is always better. It gets a wee bit boring when all you are doing is running.
"The Intertoto will take care of itself. You would be playing pre-season friendlies anyway, so we might as well be playing meaningful games."
Motherwell winger Darren Smith, meanwhile, is already looking forward to next season even though the current campaign is not finished.
Well round off a dramatic season at Easter Road tonight and have plenty to keep them motivated during the summer with a European adventure to come starting in August.
And Smith, who scored the opening goal in the crucial win over Aberdeen that helped seal third, will not spend much time lazing around during the summer as he prepares for whatever Europe may have in store for the Fir Park side.
"You want a good couple of weeks to put your feet up and relax and take your mind off football," he said. "As soon as that is over we can't wait to get into the swing of things. I think with the prospect of European football, the boys are so excited.
"Everybody is champing at the bit to get there and get back and get started. I think a lot of boys will try to keep themselves in peak condition so that when they come back they will be absolutely flying and get the chance to play in Europe. Not many people get that opportunity so it's a big thing for us."
But while Smith is already thinking of Europe, he is eager to go out on a high this season against a side who ran Motherwell close for that final European berth.
"We have professional pride," the 20-year-old said. "We want to win as many games as possible and want to give the fans and ourselves a big lift at the end of the season by going out with a victory."
The full article contains 710 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
