Hanlon out, new man in?

Jan 30 2009 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

DEREK McInnes won’t have loan star Paul Hanlon for tomorrow’s clash with Morton.

The Perth boss had been hoping Hibs would agree to another loan deal through to the end of the season.

But the search to pin down a quality full-back has been far-reaching.

McInnes has been giving it priority status and had already sounded out several managers on both sides of the border about potential candidates to fill the left-back slot at McDiarmid before Hanlon returned to the capital.

Yesterday McInnes said: “I’m waiting on word coming back but I’m still hopeful we’ll have someone in before Saturday. We do have options in Steven Anderson, Graham Gartland and Liam Craig. But we have certainly not been idle.”