FORMER Wanderer Mixu Paatelainen believes his Hibernian strike partner Didier Agathe can go on to terrorise the best defences around and has urged the board to do everything in their power to keep the hit-man at Easter Road.

The Finn and the Frenchman have hit it off since being paired together from the start of the new season and Agathe has set Scottish football alight with four goals.

But Paatelainen has also been influential in the Edinburgh club's impressive start to the season and got the goal his work deserved to sink Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and moved them back to the top of the Premier League table.

The modest 32-year-old was delighted to get off the mark, but he chose the moment to praise Agathe and tell the club that the former Raith Rovers man must not be allowed to go.

Paatelainen said: "I rate him very highly. As everybody can see he is that quick he is unbelievable.

"I think he can terrorise any defences with his pace and he is a good finisher as well - as he showed with his two goals in the 5-1 victory over Dundee.

"I definitely hope he stays because he is obviously good to play alongside and I'm sure if he carries on like that then there is no doubt that they (the board) should try to keep him."

Paatelainen, who has enjoyed spells with Dundee United, Aberdeen, Bolton and Wolves during his career, is also enjoying a new lease of life since quitting the international stage during the summer.

The veteran could have even missed last night's game had he still been in the Finland side, which beat Norway 3-1 on the same evening.

He believes that his performances for his club have justified the decision to hang up his boots at that level - which manager Alex McLeish agreed with.

Paatelainen added: "It was a very good win for us and I was delighted to get the first goal of the season and hopefully I can carry that on.

"It was a very hard decision to make (quitting international football) because I've had a very good 14 years in the full Finnish squad.

"I just thought it was time to call it a day and I hope they can go on to do well without me and they did brilliantly against Norway getting an excellent win.

"I thought you have to stop at some stage and I thought this was a good time.

"There's one more friendly before the World Cup qualifiers and if they got through I would have been too old to go there, so I thought it was time to call it a day.

"Obviously I want to play every game for Hibs and play as much as possible and I'm very hungry for football, so it's nice to score your first goal as soon as possible in the season."