Bad luck not Hibs own doing
Boss and young star rue the bad luck that saw Hibs suffer at their rivals hands again…

ANOTHER DERBY AT TYNECASTLE, ANOTHER DEFEAT FOR THE HIBEES.  Whatever way you want to look at yesterday afternoon's game, Hibs simply didn't have it where it counted and where it was needed, up front and in the midfield respectively.  That said though, there is no legislating for two own goals against your greatest rivals and when you aren't getting the luck, it's more often than not going to be going against you.  Orman's own goal was certainly one that he couldn't have done anything about, an attempted clearance ricocheting off him and back into the goal without him having the chance to move out of the way whilst Gary Smith could hardly be accused of carelessness with his touch which sent the ball past Andersson and into his own net.

"I say it before most games, you need the breaks to go in your favour and the first goal has given them a big lift but we were never out of the game I felt." said Hibs boss Bobby Williamson after the game although he admitted that even without luck, Hibs were never really in with a chance of winning.  "We never troubled their goalkeeper either as much as we would have liked.  Derek Riordan brought out a great save from the boy that could have ended up in the back of the net, he got a good hand to it and managed to keep it out.  But apart from that we never really troubled them defensively, they were very strong.  I felt that we were also reasonably strong defensively as well."  While the youngsters have on occasion done well for Hibs, in games like yesterdays, there is still a school of though that an old head is needed to help provide some guidance on the park, particularly in the midfield where Ian Murray has hit a barren spell in regards to his form while Grant Brebner, although trying hard to spark something off, needs to have someone alongside who knows where to sit and break up play allowing him to get forward and support the front two.

Bobby tries to get the message over (sns)

Despite the lack of scoring opportunities, Williamson was adamant that Hibs were not overrun on the day and that yet another rising star of Easter Road has been found and displayed to the Hibee nation.  "I don't think Hearts dominated affairs by any stretch of the imagination and I thought that Kevin Thomson was the best midfield player on the park.  He was always trying to get on the ball and make passes, and I thought he was by a mile the best player on the day, but unfortunately for him he is on the losing team."  Thomson indeed receive many plaudits after the game, notably from the Forth 2 commentary team throughout the game although the midfielder who has only just broken into the side in the last month was, despite his own performance, disappointed not to have at least come away with a point.

Thomson told the official Hibernian site this morning: "It was good for myself apart from the result.  If you look at the game overall I think that we deserved more than to end up with a 2-0 defeat, that result has to flatter them in particular with the shots on goal that they had.  They only had one or two proper shots on goal - and both their goals were own goals."  That of course though is the difference, Hearts forcing the ball into the position where an own goal could be scored whereas Hibs only had Derek Riordan to thanks for a direct attempt at goal, and that one was from a tighter angle than he would no doubt have liked.  Speaking about his own part in the first goal, Thomson looked at it in much the same way as Williamson did.  "The first one was a clearance by myself that just came back off Alen Orman.  It was I think typical of the wee breaks just not falling for us, when you look at that opening goal it was not the best corner in either was it, bit of a scramble and I got my foot to it, off Alen Orman and we are one goal down.  Not the best start to any game."

The team now have to pick themselves up for the visit of Rangers next Sunday in another televised match from Easter Road.  With Roland Edge and Stephen Glass due back from injury, Williamson will have more options available to him, including some width on the left hand side which has been severely lacking for the last couple of games.  Of course, ahead of that is tonight's Under 21 derby fixture at Easter Road.  This is the perfect opportunity for some of the fringe players, and even one or two of the first team to get themselves some vital minutes under their belt in a less intimidating atmosphere than they had yesterday.  As always, Season Ticket holder will get in free with cash entry just £3 for adults.