Jonnyboy
25-01-2018, 12:00 AM
The road to Dundee brought conversations in the car regarding whether Stokesy would play and whether we had yet signed Florian Kamberi and if we had, would he feature. There was no sign of either player as Hibs made two changes from the side that played Hearts last Sunday. Marvin Bartley was unfit and was replaced by Barker whilst Oli Shaw dropped to the bench with Simon Murray playing central striker.
The weather was dry, if a little cold but the wind was strong and looked likely to cause problems whenever the ball was in the air. Thankfully, both sides tried to play football and there was little evidence of Hearts-like hoofing.
Hibs started brightly, if a little slowly and that was a tad baffling given we had Boyle and Barker on the flanks. When we attacked down the right, Boyle looked menacing but Barker seemed to spend a great deal of time in the first half failing to get out of Lewis Stevenson’s way. That aspect of Barker’s play certainly irritates me but I’m glad to say that the second half brought a marked change in Barker’s contribution.
In what seemed like Dundee’s first proper attack they could and should have gone ahead but a ball from their left witnessed Paul McGowan heading wide when the goal was at his mercy. That was a warning shot to Hibs who soon produced a couple of chances of their own with the first seeing Murray’s header hit the woodwork after a cracking cross from Efe Ambrose. Next, John McGinn lined up a shot but a last ditch tackle, from Jack Hendry saw the ball fly wide for a corner.
This wasn’t a particularly physical encounter but I felt a few of the Dundee players were happy to leave a foot in when tackling and so it was no surprise to me that referee Don Robertson produced yellow cards for Hendry and Aurtenetxe, although Dundee gaffer Neil McCann and the home support were less than happy.
Half time arrived with no goals having been scored but I’m glad to say the second forty five was far more entertaining than the first. Early on, O’Hara went close with a driven shot but around seven or eight minutes in, Hibs took the lead through John McGinn. The move came down the right with a clever Ambrose pass picking out Slivka inside the Dundee area. A quick turn and low delivery into the six yard box saw Simon Murray tumble as he was challenged but the referee waved play on and when the ball reached McGinn some eight yards out, SJM swivelled and struck home a low drive beyond Parish in the Dundee goal. John’s celebration was a sight to behold as he ran behind the goal and fist pumped to the cheering Hibs fans.
Dundee brought on Scott Allan to try and prise open a dogged Hibs defence and whilst I thought the home side played better after Allan’s arrival our defence was brilliantly marshalled by Paul Hanlon. On two occasions Brandon Barker broke free down the left and when through on goal hit the side netting with the first effort and shot too close to Parish for the second. Had he converted either or both the tension might have been relieved a little. Next, a powerful header by O’Hara had the home fans shouting goal but they were then left shaking their heads in disbelief as Rocky pulled off a quite magnificent save.
Desperate to get something from the game, Neil McCann introduced attacking players from the bench but it was Hibs that should have scored when substitute Danny Swanson brilliantly broke free on the left before slotting the ball in front of Simon Murray some three yards out but unbelievably the Hibs striker totally missed the ball when he could quite probably have just blown it into an empty net.
The home support was then incensed when a hefty challenge by John McGinn went unpunished as he was already on a (soft in my opinion) yellow. Neil McCann was not slow to bitch about it from the sidelines and was spoken to by the referee as a result.
A double save from Parrish then denied Simon Murray before Dundee substitute Matthew Henvey had a free header some ten yards out but was well wide of the target. As the clock ticked down John McGinn took control of proceedings and basically stopped Dundee from causing Hibs any more bother.
The players
Rocky – He didn’t have a great deal to do, in truth. Had one very good save in the first half and a quite stunning one in the second.
Efe – When I realised Efe was right back again my heart sank a little as though I think he’s a cracking player I don’t think he’s a right back. Only a few minor Efe moments though and key involvement in the build up to the goal.
Daz – The big fella was outstanding again and though the likes of McGowan and El Bakhtaoui are tricky customers he kept them at bay.
Paul – Another fantastic Paul Hanlon performance and he had AJ Leitch-Smith in his pocket for most of the game. Pinged one of his classic cross field balls to Boyle and despite the wind it reached the target spot on.
Lewis – The wee man must get really frustrated when he sees Barker static in front of him and he certainly let Brandon know his feelings on a couple of occasions in the first half. Like Paul, he too pinged a delightful diagonal ball to Boyle that was spot on.
Boyler – Martin was the pick of the bunch in the first half and made numerous forays down the right with the Dundee defenders having problems tying him down. Not as prevalent in the second half but still a handful when he had the ball.
Dylan – I felt like running onto the park tonight to offer Dylan the use of a pen because he was by far my man of the match and I desperately want him to sign a new contract and stay. One crucial block in our own box in the second half almost certainly preserved the three points won.
Slivka – After a quietish first half I felt Slivka had a cracking second forty five. His skill and pass for the winning goal were a joy to watch and I’m of the view that the more he plays, the better he’ll get.
SJM – Super John was great tonight and showed real desire to drive us forward. In my view that was his best game in a while and I loved his goal celebration which when watching it made me wonder whether he’s aware of the criticism that’s been aimed at him in some quarters.
Brandon – Frustrated the life out of me for most of the first half but he was fantastic in the second. With a little bit more composure he’d have had a brace of goals tonight.
Simon – The laddie never stops trying, I’ll give him that but at the level he is now playing he cannot expect to avoid criticism when he misses the ball when three yards from goal with the net gaping. Having said that, he definitely takes a better corner than SJM!
Danny – I wonder how much truth there is in the suggestion that Danny might be sent out on loan. I’ll tell you this, we saw what Danny can bring to the party tonight and he should be going nowhere. There was one little piece of play right down at the corner flag when Danny turned the Dundee defender inside out with the quickness of his feet.
Jamie – worked his socks off for the ten minutes he got but more importantly, got himself into goal scoring positions a couple of times without being picked out by a team mate.
Oli – Only got a few minutes but still managed to bring a good save out of Elliot Parish.
Neil – I didn’t hear his post-match interview so can’t comment on anything he might have said. I wonder what he thought of the odious Neil McCann’s view that his team dominated the game and deserved to win.
The fans – Not sure how many we ended up with but did notice the pay at the gate turnstile was very busy.
Referee Don Robertson – not one of my favourites, not that I have many, but I’m grateful to him for not sending John McGinn off. John’s yellow was soft in my opinion but a later tackle looked a yellow all day long with Robertson waving aside the Dundee claims.
The weather was dry, if a little cold but the wind was strong and looked likely to cause problems whenever the ball was in the air. Thankfully, both sides tried to play football and there was little evidence of Hearts-like hoofing.
Hibs started brightly, if a little slowly and that was a tad baffling given we had Boyle and Barker on the flanks. When we attacked down the right, Boyle looked menacing but Barker seemed to spend a great deal of time in the first half failing to get out of Lewis Stevenson’s way. That aspect of Barker’s play certainly irritates me but I’m glad to say that the second half brought a marked change in Barker’s contribution.
In what seemed like Dundee’s first proper attack they could and should have gone ahead but a ball from their left witnessed Paul McGowan heading wide when the goal was at his mercy. That was a warning shot to Hibs who soon produced a couple of chances of their own with the first seeing Murray’s header hit the woodwork after a cracking cross from Efe Ambrose. Next, John McGinn lined up a shot but a last ditch tackle, from Jack Hendry saw the ball fly wide for a corner.
This wasn’t a particularly physical encounter but I felt a few of the Dundee players were happy to leave a foot in when tackling and so it was no surprise to me that referee Don Robertson produced yellow cards for Hendry and Aurtenetxe, although Dundee gaffer Neil McCann and the home support were less than happy.
Half time arrived with no goals having been scored but I’m glad to say the second forty five was far more entertaining than the first. Early on, O’Hara went close with a driven shot but around seven or eight minutes in, Hibs took the lead through John McGinn. The move came down the right with a clever Ambrose pass picking out Slivka inside the Dundee area. A quick turn and low delivery into the six yard box saw Simon Murray tumble as he was challenged but the referee waved play on and when the ball reached McGinn some eight yards out, SJM swivelled and struck home a low drive beyond Parish in the Dundee goal. John’s celebration was a sight to behold as he ran behind the goal and fist pumped to the cheering Hibs fans.
Dundee brought on Scott Allan to try and prise open a dogged Hibs defence and whilst I thought the home side played better after Allan’s arrival our defence was brilliantly marshalled by Paul Hanlon. On two occasions Brandon Barker broke free down the left and when through on goal hit the side netting with the first effort and shot too close to Parish for the second. Had he converted either or both the tension might have been relieved a little. Next, a powerful header by O’Hara had the home fans shouting goal but they were then left shaking their heads in disbelief as Rocky pulled off a quite magnificent save.
Desperate to get something from the game, Neil McCann introduced attacking players from the bench but it was Hibs that should have scored when substitute Danny Swanson brilliantly broke free on the left before slotting the ball in front of Simon Murray some three yards out but unbelievably the Hibs striker totally missed the ball when he could quite probably have just blown it into an empty net.
The home support was then incensed when a hefty challenge by John McGinn went unpunished as he was already on a (soft in my opinion) yellow. Neil McCann was not slow to bitch about it from the sidelines and was spoken to by the referee as a result.
A double save from Parrish then denied Simon Murray before Dundee substitute Matthew Henvey had a free header some ten yards out but was well wide of the target. As the clock ticked down John McGinn took control of proceedings and basically stopped Dundee from causing Hibs any more bother.
The players
Rocky – He didn’t have a great deal to do, in truth. Had one very good save in the first half and a quite stunning one in the second.
Efe – When I realised Efe was right back again my heart sank a little as though I think he’s a cracking player I don’t think he’s a right back. Only a few minor Efe moments though and key involvement in the build up to the goal.
Daz – The big fella was outstanding again and though the likes of McGowan and El Bakhtaoui are tricky customers he kept them at bay.
Paul – Another fantastic Paul Hanlon performance and he had AJ Leitch-Smith in his pocket for most of the game. Pinged one of his classic cross field balls to Boyle and despite the wind it reached the target spot on.
Lewis – The wee man must get really frustrated when he sees Barker static in front of him and he certainly let Brandon know his feelings on a couple of occasions in the first half. Like Paul, he too pinged a delightful diagonal ball to Boyle that was spot on.
Boyler – Martin was the pick of the bunch in the first half and made numerous forays down the right with the Dundee defenders having problems tying him down. Not as prevalent in the second half but still a handful when he had the ball.
Dylan – I felt like running onto the park tonight to offer Dylan the use of a pen because he was by far my man of the match and I desperately want him to sign a new contract and stay. One crucial block in our own box in the second half almost certainly preserved the three points won.
Slivka – After a quietish first half I felt Slivka had a cracking second forty five. His skill and pass for the winning goal were a joy to watch and I’m of the view that the more he plays, the better he’ll get.
SJM – Super John was great tonight and showed real desire to drive us forward. In my view that was his best game in a while and I loved his goal celebration which when watching it made me wonder whether he’s aware of the criticism that’s been aimed at him in some quarters.
Brandon – Frustrated the life out of me for most of the first half but he was fantastic in the second. With a little bit more composure he’d have had a brace of goals tonight.
Simon – The laddie never stops trying, I’ll give him that but at the level he is now playing he cannot expect to avoid criticism when he misses the ball when three yards from goal with the net gaping. Having said that, he definitely takes a better corner than SJM!
Danny – I wonder how much truth there is in the suggestion that Danny might be sent out on loan. I’ll tell you this, we saw what Danny can bring to the party tonight and he should be going nowhere. There was one little piece of play right down at the corner flag when Danny turned the Dundee defender inside out with the quickness of his feet.
Jamie – worked his socks off for the ten minutes he got but more importantly, got himself into goal scoring positions a couple of times without being picked out by a team mate.
Oli – Only got a few minutes but still managed to bring a good save out of Elliot Parish.
Neil – I didn’t hear his post-match interview so can’t comment on anything he might have said. I wonder what he thought of the odious Neil McCann’s view that his team dominated the game and deserved to win.
The fans – Not sure how many we ended up with but did notice the pay at the gate turnstile was very busy.
Referee Don Robertson – not one of my favourites, not that I have many, but I’m grateful to him for not sending John McGinn off. John’s yellow was soft in my opinion but a later tackle looked a yellow all day long with Robertson waving aside the Dundee claims.