KEATINGS KINDLES HOPE OF HAT-TRICK
THE need to better their direct rivals by four goals sounds improbable, bordering on the possible. However, should any in the Hibs squad harbour serious doubts over their ability to overtake Falkirk in a good, old-fashioned Helicopter Sunday-style run chase, they need only speak to one of their own. James Keatings was a Hamilton player when Accies thumped Morton 10-2 on the closing day of the Championship season almost exactly two years ago. While it still failed to prevent Dundee from winning the title, that scoring flurry sent Hamilton flying into the play-offs where, ironically enough, they disposed of a Hibs side who have been down in the second tier ever since. Keatings, who bagged a hat-trick in Tuesday’s 4-0 trouncing of Dumbarton to bring Sunday’s target just about within reach, sees no reason why Hibs cannot hit the goal trail against Queen of the South at Easter Road while Falkirk are playing Morton. ‘It’s in Falkirk’s hands obviously but we closed the gap on the goal difference a bit on Tuesday night — so we’ll go again and, hopefully, get more goals and see what happens,’ he said. ‘Anything can happen going into the end of the season, as I know. We know we’re playing for something. We want second spot and it’s up to us to try to grab as many goals as we can. ‘But we’ll have a game plan and try to stick to it and see what happens. If we score early like we did on Tuesday, then word will get through to them. Fans will be sitting with radios or phones listening to both games. ‘At Hamilton, we got told before the game we required eight goals and needed Dundee to draw. It was a bit of a freak, finishing 10-2. It was wave after wave of attack after half-time and I believed we could do it. ‘I had a funny feeling before the game. We stood on the pitch at full-time and Dundee still had two minutes to play. ‘One of our coaches told us the Dundee keeper made a great save at the end. We went into the play-offs after that and still got promotion.’ Keatings holds the distinction of winning promotion with Hamilton in season 2013-14 and then doing the same with Hearts last year, only to move on at the end of each campaign. Back in the starting XI and emphatically the best player for Hibs in Tuesday’s victory, he is most definitely eyeing a hat-trick of a different kind. ‘The last two years have been amazing for me, winning promotion. You want to play in successful teams and I joined Hibs with the aim of a third promotion. It would be amazing. ‘This Hibs side is as good as the ones I won promotion with. Hamilton — who did it the hard way — and Hearts showed character, and it’s up to us this season to show that same character.’