Terry Butcher, the Hibernian manager, is trying to maintain a semblance of calm as he bids to lead his side to safety in the SPFL Premiership today with victory over Kilmarnock in the final game of a fraught campaign.

That cannot be easy considering the Easter Road side have managed only one win in their last 18 matches, a barren run of form which has left them in the relegation play-off place, one point behind this afternoon's opponents.

Anything less a win will consign Hibs to a tense play-off final against a team from the Championship. "I am like a swan," said Butcher. "Calm, but underneath I am paddling like f***. Our singular course of action is to win. The only way to react is to come out fighting."