Nigeria defender, Efe Ambrose, says that his club, Hibernian, want to crown their recent impressive run in the Scottish Premiership with a second place finish and a European qualification ticket.
Currently, the top placed team in the Scottish Premiership gains qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round, while the second and third placed teams enter the Europa League at the first qualifying round stage.
Since losing to Hearts (1-0 FA Cup) and Celtic (1-0 league) both in January, Hibernian have gone eight straight Premiership games unbeaten (six wins, two draws).
They are currently fourth on 58 points in the 12-team league table, four points behind Aberdeen who are second and just one point behind Rangers in third spot.
And ahead of Saturday’s away game against relegation threatened Ross County, Ambrose expresses his firm confidence that Hibernian can achieve their second place target.
“One point behind Rangers and four behind Aberdeen, we are close. We need to let them know we’re coming,” Ambrose tells Edinburgh News.
“Nobody is safe right now – maybe only Celtic. But for the rest, and Kilmarnock are coming really strong too, second is still open and anyone can be in that position.
“But the work we have to do is just starting because we are going to play the best teams in the country although we have done well against the teams in the top six.”
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner with the Super Eagles, admits that being knocked out of the Scottish Cup by arch-rivals Hearts in the first match following the winter break was turning point in Hibs’ season as they were left with no choice but to focus on finishing high in the table.
He says: “Coming back up, our first season in the league, our goal was to be in the top six and win a trophy. When we lost to Hearts we knew we could not win a trophy so from then on we have looked at finishing in the top four and winning a European spot would be a great achievement for the club. Being in Europe is like winning a trophy for us, that’s what the gaffer has said to us.”