This is how it feels (St Johnstone 9 September)
On the road again to watch Hibs take on St Johnstone, with the home side looking to protect and perhaps add to their unbeaten run of league matches. They seemed pretty much at full strength while Neil Lennon surprised a few travelling fans with his starting line-up. A flat back four with Gray and Whittaker flanking Ambrose and Hanlon, behind an adventurous midfield quartet of Boyle, Bartley, McGinn and Barker with Stokes and Simon Murray up front. No Lewis again and no Slivka or Swanson, those three sharing the bench with Laidlaw, Porteous, McGeouch and Big Dave.
To my mind it was a bold move going with two such out and out wide players as part of a four and in truth it took Hibs a good twenty minutes to find their feet. In that period, St Johnstone saw a lot of the ball but never really came anywhere near troubling Marciano. At the other end, Murray had a half chance but the ball from wide was delivered with such pace, Simon didn’t have the time to shape his body correctly. For the remaining twenty five minutes of the half I felt that Hibs dominated possession but the final ball was missing and Alan Mannus didn’t have a lot to do in the home goal.
The second half had Hibs shooting towards the large mass of travelling fans, attacking from the off and Boyle forced Mannus into a fantastic save while Stokes and Murray both had efforts cleared off the line by Richard Foster. Ironically, it was a failed Hibs attack that led to them going behind. Bartley ran the ball out of play for a throw in to Saints, level with their 18 yard box. Quickly taken it caught both full backs out of position as Liam Craig flashed a ball across the Hibs box to find O’Halloran in acres of space in the Hibs left back position. Marciano had no chance and the goal came very much against the run of play.
Picking themselves up from this setback, the fifth league game in a row that they’d gone behind, Hibs began to pummel the home defence and just past the hour mark a cut back from Murray would have Stokes six yards out but Michael Paton got there first to bullet the ball past Mannus. That winning goal, which I felt our play more than deserved, just would not come. Mannus again denied Boyle while Steven Anderson got his keeper out of trouble by heading off the line.
Only a point then, when three were deserved but it has to be kept in mind that St Johnstone are a very good team and Tommy Wright has made them an impressive defensive unit when not in possession. I left the game disappointed we hadn’t won but very happy with the performance overall.
My thoughts on our team
Rocky – Just like at Dundee he had precious little to do and had no chance with the goal
David Gray – worked his socks off for ninety minutes and looked far happier with Boyle ahead of him
Efe – Remains an enigma. For the first twenty minutes he seemed to have developed a complex about heading the ball! Otherwise, with the odd Efe moment he was fine.
Paul Hanlon – It’s getting monotonous saying he was excellent, but he was – again
Whitty – Does not look comfortable at left back and was posted missing for the goal but he’s a good pro and helped Barker through the match with encouraging words in his ear
Boyler - Am glad he’s back and he gave Easton a torrid time down our right. Still prone to the odd poor delivery having worked hard to create the space
The Bart Man – Solid without being outstanding, though I was worried he’d sold the jerseys in time added on by stupidly and needlessly tripping a Saints player right in front of the referee. Thankfully, Liam Craig blasted his effort high and wide.
SJM – Showed everyone today why he is known as Super. He was absolutely outstanding and if the man with the funny hat could have watched on he’d be crying into it. By a very long way, John was my man of the match
Barker – Flitted in and out of the game as his pace didn’t help him much when up against the speedy Richard Foster. I do like what I see though and I’m sure he’ll more effective games in future
Simon – This lad gets into so many good positions it’s not true. Unfortunately no-one in a Hibs jersey could pick him out! Did well at the goal in catching the ball on the goal line and squaring it towards Stokes with Paton getting there first
Stokesy – A strange performance today. Some of his touches and flicks are a joy to behold but there were patches where he was marked absent. Two horrendous shots at goal in the second half were, I am sure, out of frustration
Danny Swanson – replaced Barker and had one late opportunity to win it for Hibs but for whatever reason he seemed to want to beat another man when an earlier shot might well have hit the net
Big Dave – Did nothing – and I mean nothing! Came on, in the dying seconds of time added on and never even got a touch of the ball.
Next up is Motherwell at ER. They’re going well enough but all their points have, I think, been earned at Fir Park
