LEIGH Griffiths was delighted to hit a hat-trick in yesterday’s (Saturday) 5-0 thrashing of St Mirren, and said an emphatic team performance bodes well for next week’s Glasgow derby at Ibrox.

Goals from Odsonne Edouard and Callum McGregor rounded out the five-without-reply display at Paradise, and now the 29-year-old striker looks forward to a week of hard work in preparation for next Sunday's encounter.

“It was a special afternoon,” said Griffiths. “Getting a hat-trick is always nice. I always want to get myself on the scoresheet and I now hope I can be in contention for next week. I couldn’t remember the last time I scored a one, but it’s great to bring the match ball home.

“The more minutes I get on the pitch, the more opportunities I’ll get to score goals. I think you saw that with Odsonne today, we’re linking up well and we both got goals.

“I always need to concentrate on my own game, play well, contribute to the team and help them get three points. My favourite goal today? Probably the second one. I wanted to get the ball out from my feet and shoot, but the defender closed me down a bit too quick. I managed to play a one-two with Tom and then clip it over the goalkeeper.”

Griffiths stressed that despite his fine form this year so far, he’s got more to offer between now and the end of the campaign.

With the third Glasgow derby of the season now on the horizon, the forward is now desperate to keep his run of form going – be that via the starting XI at Ibrox, or with a place on the bench.

He added: “There’s definitely more to come from me, I can still get fitter and work on my game every day at training, which is what I’m trying to do. I love playing at Ibrox. But whether I start or not, or if I’m kept on the bench and used as an impact sub, I’ll delighted to play my part.

“There are loads of players that are chomping at the bit, though, especially in a game of that magnitude. We just want to go there and win. It’s always the games you want to play, but we’ll take it as it comes next week.

“For us it’s just another game, though, we go there and we try and get three points. We know how difficult it’s going to be, they’ll be fired up, and they’ll want to prove a point against us. We want to go there, be solid and come away from the game with something.”

Leigh Griffiths: Hat-trick is great preparation for next week’s derby