Hibs have signed former Leicester City goalkeeper Conrad Logan on a deal until the end of the season to ease their personnel worries over the upcoming Scottish Cup semi-final against Dundee United.
The 29-year-old, who was released by the English Premier League leaders last summer after 14 years with the Foxes, will provide additional cover for the April 16 showdown, with number one Mark Oxley suspended for the tie.
Current back-up Otso Virtanen is expected to play in that game after Oxley was controversially booked for time wasting during the win at Inverness – even though he was looking for his contact lens.
Hibs head coach Alan Stubbs had been facing the prospect of heading into the United game only having teenager Sean Brennan as cover to Virtanen
Irishman Logan, who joins subject to international clearance, has only just returned to fitness after rupturing his Achilles tendon while on loan at Rochdale in December 2014.
Stubbs said: “I am delighted that Conrad has joined us on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
“As a goalkeeper, Conrad possesses a wealth of experience at a very good level in English football, and this can only be of a benefit for us as we enter into a crucial and important stage in our season.”
Speaking last month about his injury torment, the shot-stopper, who made a total of 30 appearances for Leicester, said: “Sometimes people come back in six months but others can be 14 or 15 and it’s taken me longer.
“I haven’t had any pain since before Christmas so it’s fully healed now.
“If I can get something this season, great, but there is no point in rushing it so realistically I am looking at next season.
“Even though I’ve been out for a long time, there has still been a good bit of interest.”
Stubbs, meanwhile, has been handed a huge boost after defender Paul Hanlon returned to training for the first time since picking up a thigh injury last month.
The 26-year-old rejoined his team-mates for practice sessions at their East Mains base earlier this week and could come into contention for Saturday’s trip to St Mirren.
Hanlon sustained the problem during the February 27 defeat at Dumbarton and subsequently had to sit out the bitterly disappointing League Cup final defeat to Ross County.
Stubbs’ side have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of the five matches that the Scotland Under-21 cap has missed but his return to training comes ahead of a hugely important run of games.
The weekend’s trip to Paisley is the start of an exhausting schedule that sees Hibs play two games per week – a total of nine matches – right up until their final Championship match of the season against Queen of the South on April 30.
Hibs are desperate to make up ground on second place Falkirk in the race for the play-offs, with the Bairns currently six points ahead having played three more games.
