HIBERNIAN manager Neil Lennon believes that a return to Easter Road can bring out the best again in Scott Allan, as he challenged the on-loan Celtic midfielder to finally fulfil his potential.

On a deadline day transfer merry-go-round between Hibs, Celtic and Dundee, Allan moved back to his former side from the Tayside club after spending the first half of the season working under Neil McCann at Dens Park.

Lennon now believes that he can get the very best out of the 26-year-old, and didn’t rule out the possibility of trying to make the move permanent at the end of the season should he impress.

“Scott Allan I like a lot,” said Lennon. We’ve been looking for another creative one. He fits the bill.

“He’ll add a freshness to our play if we get the best out of him. I want him to fulfil his talent here.

“He’s been plodding along a little bit for his career. A player of that talent should be doing more. It’s my job to push him on.

“Scott’s a Celtic player so that’s something we maybe look at later on. He’s going to be a Hibs player, he had a very good spell here – and I hope he can replicate that.”

Hibs coped well enough without Allan last night at Easter Road as they saw off a spirited fightback from Motherwell, with another deadline day signing, Florian Kamberi, announcing his arrival on the Scottish football scene in style.

They started the game on the front foot, and Motherwell did well to emerge from an early onslaught with their goal in tact through a combination of heroic last-ditch defending and more than a spot of luck along the way.

The outstanding Brandon Barker had two efforts at goal that were hacked clear in quick succession, Allan Campbell getting back to repel his first effort before his volley was slid clear by Cedric Kipre.

John McGinn then headed off the post, but the visitor’s luck ran out just before the half hour as Hibs took the lead through new-boy Kamberi.

The Swiss striker, who only arrived on loan from Grasshopper Club Zurich earlier in the day, got a shot away that Charles Dunne threw himself in front of, but the ball broke back out for the forward who showed great composure to sidefoot home a spectacular finish off the underside of the bar.

Motherwell responded well, and the perpetual motion of Campbell running beyond the midfield was giving the Hibs defence plenty of food for thought, and the youngster was unlucky as he dragged a left-foot effort just wide after good set-up play by Craig Tanner.

The pressure from the visitors before the break didn’t bear fruit though, and they were made to pay for slack defending just after the restart as Hibs opened up some breathing space.

The Motherwell rearguard was caught napping as Martin Boyle, another impressive performer on the night, got in behind down the left all too easily. He strolled to the by-line before lifting his head and picking out the arriving Barker, who opened up his body and found the top corner.

Visiting manager Stephen Robinson threw on Chris Cadden and Gael Bigirimana on the hour as he chased the game, and the two combined to fashion a great chance, the former crossing for the latter who really should have scored with a header.

They did get a goal back with a little over 10 minutes remaining though to set up a grandstand finish, as a long ball into the channel looked to be meat and drink to Efe Ambrose, but Curtis Main seized upon his hesitation to steal in and finish underneath Ofir Marciano for his third goal in four games since arriving at Fir Park.

The visitors thought they had completed their second last-gasp great escape in the capital in a matter of days in stoppage time as a scramble broke to Main, but Marciano got up to palm his curling effort over the bar and give Hibs the three points.

'Well boss Robinson, who was still hopeful of bringing in a striker before the midnight deadline, felt his men didn’t get the reward they deserved for their efforts.

“We ‘re going to play a lot worse and win,” Robinson said. “To have Hibs backing off into their own half for long periods, it’s good.

“But they’ve got great quality at the top end of the pitch. The second goal kills us. You can’t give them a two-goal lead.

“Lenny has them playing super football. But we took the game to them. We created a lot and credit to the boys, they kept going.”

Hibs were also hoping to do more business before the night was out, with goalkeeper Cammy Bell set to sign after his release from Kilmarnock.