Thornton Hibs: Gaffer Craig Gilbert hoping for first home game since November this weekend

Although they are supposed to be taking on Crossgates Primrose in an away League Cup second round match at Humbug Park, Hibs gaffer Gilbert has revealed the tie could be switched.

"We’re meant to be away to Crossgates in the cup this Saturday,” Gilbert told the Fife Free Press. "But I think their park’s becoming a wee bit unplayable in the wet weather, so they’ve tried to get an astroturf park at Kelty or Dalgety Bay instead.

"But we’ve offered them to come to Thornton because our park’s playable, which would give us a wee home tie.

"We would really be looking forward to that if it happened, we’d be champing at the bit.

"It will be the fourth time we have played Crossgates this season. It will be a good game.

"And it will be great to get a home tie just to get some coffers in the bank, because it’s difficult giving out petrol money, wages and expenses for all this time.

"And then we’ve got three league games on the bounce at home.

"People will probably never have heard of anything like this where we’ve had so few games at home in recent months.

"I’ve been a manager for over 20 years and I’ve never known anything like it.”

Thornton go into Saturday’s match having picked up their second straight East of Scotland League second division victory in a 5-0 success at Peebles Rovers last weekend.

With just six minutes played, Mikey Gould raced up the left before delivering a low cross that Joe Kinninmonth converted at the back post.

Peebles hit back strongly though and visiting keeper Calum Sutherland made terrific saves from Robbie Renwick and Kyle Kivlichan before Ross Lamb's netbound effort spun off Gough and over the bar.

From the resultant corner a header was cleared off the line before Thornton regained a stranglehold.

John Soutar's shot came off the bar but, just before half-time, Thornton did score when Gould took full advantage of poor defending to run clear before coolly rounding Cameron Hanratty and guiding the ball into the open goal.

The third goal came in the 55th minute when Paul Dickson was adjudged to have handled in the box – this was hotly disputed by the home players – with Stuart Drummond smacking home the penalty.

Jamie McNeish came close to making it four with a header that was cleared off the line but in the 79th minute Kinninmonth couldn't believe his luck when awful defending presented him with the opportunity to go one on one with Hanratty, with the Hibs number seven netting his second goal of the game.

More dreadful Peebles defending meant that Jamie McNeish didn't even have anyone to beat as he rolled the ball into the unguarded net for 5-0.

Thornton’s game against Crossgates Primrose this Saturday will kick-off at 2.30pm, venue undecided.