Jonnyboy
19-08-2018, 06:42 PM
After the disappointment of going out of the Europa League qualifiers in Norway last Thursday, it was back to domestic football for Hibs and I travelled to the match at Easter Road wondering what changes Lenny might make, with a couple of players carrying knocks and others feeling in their legs the frequency of so many matches in such a short space of time. As it turned out there were a few changes to both personnel and system with Hibs starting a flat back four and bringing Laidlaw, Hyndman, Horgan, Martin and Shaw into the starting eleven. Surprisingly, to me at least, was the exclusion of Paul Hanlon who had to be content with a seat on the bench. For their part, Ross County started with an eleven that had plenty of top league experience, as against a Hibs eleven with a liberal sprinkling of youngsters.
The game was only a few seconds old when Vigurs lunged in on Stevie Mallan, earning a yellow card in the process. It might easily have been red as it was a horrible challenge and not his last in the game with a few others worthy of a second yellow but characteristically weak refereeing by Kevin Clancy meant the County man avoided an early bath. That challenge set the early tone with the visitors pressing us high and this young Hibs team was struggling to cope at times. Their pressure told around the ten minute mark when a headed clearance by Ambrose found Gardyne all alone on the edge of the box. The County man hammered a low shot which Laidlaw looked like he might have covered but a deflection resulted in the ball ending up in the net. I have to say the manner of the goal irked me somewhat as Gardyne had all the time in the world and not a Hibs player near him. The very same thing happened in Perth and again in Molde. I like that we leave players up the park when defending a corner but not if it means an opponent is presented with the easiest of chances to get a shot on goal.
For a few minutes after the goal we looked a bit unsettled but fine play involving Shaw and Boyle resulted in the latter causing Scott Fox to get down sharply, pushing the effort round the post. That seemed to settle Hibs a bit and they started to put together a decent passing game in midfield. The ball reached Horgan wide on the left and his quick feet took him past a defender and allowed an excellent back post cross to be bulleted home via the head of David Gray. It was Hibs that now enjoyed the best of the attacking play with Hyndman, Mallan and Horgan probing and trying to set Shaw and/or Boyle free. Horgan fired an effort just wide and then a cracking pass from Shaw put Boyle through for a one on one but disappointingly the Hibs man shot straight at Fox.
Next, Hyndman set Boyle up again but the wide man’s left footed effort was well saved by Fox who was the busiest keeper at that stage. County almost conceded an own goal but Fox reacted quickest to drop on a loose ball before all of the Hibs misses looked like they might cost them when County almost snatched a lead on the stroke of half time. An Arthur Montford stramash in the box saw Laidlaw drop on the ball only to be kicked in the head by Morris who was a lucky boy to only get a warning from the ref.
The second half started with County very much on the front foot and Hibs were finding it difficult to get forward at all. A silly free kick conceded by Porteous in the D of the penalty area allowed Vigurs to strike a free kick with the ball looking to go in the top corner but Laidlaw flew across his goal to make an excellent save. County though sensed blood and a low cross from their right was heading straight into Laidlaw’s arms but Ambrose got in the way and dallied over his clearance and then bundled the lively McManus over in the box. The ref seemed to take a while to make his mind up but it was pretty clearly a penalty. Ex Livingston man Josh Mullin took the kick and although Laidlaw got fingers to it the power in the strike beat him. Hibs were rocking now and Laidlaw once again came to the rescue by making fine saves from both Kelly and Gardyne.
Having survived an onslaught, Hibs began to get forward more and looked dangerous whenever Horgan or Mallan had possession. It was the latter of those two that got Hibs level with a stunning strike from about twenty five yards with Scott Fox rooted to the spot as the ball flew past him. That was Mallan’s sixth of the season with every one of them coming from outside the penalty area. It was anybody’s game at that point with both teams going for the win. Thankfully it was Hibs that succeeded when Horgan, some twenty odd yards from goal, jinked to his right, wrong footing his marker, before switching to his left and curling a glorious drive into the bottom corner.
It was a tough game for Hibs but it must surely be kept in mind that County fielded a far more seasoned starting eleven. We rode our luck at times but you have to admire the character of a predominantly young and inexperienced side.
The player
Ross – I thought he had a very good game and could not be faulted for either goal. Indeed he had a few saves that kept us in it. It was ironic that the message from the home stands was for him to be quicker in releasing the ball, only for the same stands to demand he take his time when we were 3-2 up with seconds to play.
SDG – It tickles me that the stadium announcer, when reading out the teams, says “At number 2, it’s Sir David Gray” but given Dave’s fondness for scoring against teams in blue he deserves that accolade.
Efe – This wasn’t Efe at his best and the grumblings from the stands seem to be getting louder with every game. Basic errors and bad decision making gets us in trouble too often and I just wish he could fully concentrate in every game because he’s a wonderful player when at his best.
Ryan – I thought Ryan struggled a little against the livewire that is Declan McManus but at times and especially late in the game he was a rock. The laddie is still learning and yes, he makes mistakes but learning from those mistakes will make him a better player.
Lewis – At one point in the first half a Lewis pass went straight to a County player and the reaction of those around me was of utter shock. It happens so rarely that reaction was understandable. Thankfully he was fine for the rest of the game.
Boyler – I thought Martin should have had a first half hat trick but his composure let him down and he was largely anonymous in the second half. I really like the laddie as a player but it has to be said he’s kinda chicken hearted in fifty/fifty situations.
Stevie – He showed again that he can pick a pass and at times he reminds me of Scott Allan but he needs to be at it for the whole ninety minutes and I don’t think he was today.
Emerson – The lad has very clever feet and he made a number of good runs and passes today but seemed to run out of steam after an hour or so.
Scotty – I was delighted to see that Scott was in the starting eleven. I love his dynamism and his willingness to mix it. When the ball was leathered into his face from close range he didn’t even flinch and I was disappointed he was replaced at half time but I’ve since heard he suffered a broken nose after that ball hit him square on.
Daryl – After a very tentative opening fifteen minutes I thought he came on to a very good game. He has great pace, is good with both feet and looked equally at home when out wide or in the centre where he finished the game. Excellent cross for the first Hibs goal and a sublime finish for the winner he gets my man of the match today.
Oli – Largely left to forage on his own for most of the game I think he demonstrated that he’s good at taking the ball in, laying it off and winning his fair share of headers.
Whitty – It rips my knitting when I hear groans around me as Whitty is announced as coming off the bench. He had a solid if unspectacular forty five minutes and deserves better from the fans in my opinion. It’s one thing criticising him on a messageboard but it’s quite another during a game when support should be the first thing on every fans mind.
Jamie – Replaced the tiring Hyndman but had little effect on the game when his supply of ball was predominantly in the air against a giant of a centre half.
Paul – Brought on, I think, to stiffen the defence in the closing stages and achieved that aim.
Lenny – I heard his interview on the way home and pretty much agreed with what he said in relation to the game. Was cagey when asked about new signings but did say “never say never” so time will tell I guess.
Clancy – Inept and a bit of a coward in allowing Vigurs to last the entire ninety minutes.
The fans – I’m told it was just shy of 8,500 and I have to say the atmosphere was pretty flat. Did the Since1875 folk just decide to boycott the game as their normal area was pretty deserted, just like the FF Lower.
The game was only a few seconds old when Vigurs lunged in on Stevie Mallan, earning a yellow card in the process. It might easily have been red as it was a horrible challenge and not his last in the game with a few others worthy of a second yellow but characteristically weak refereeing by Kevin Clancy meant the County man avoided an early bath. That challenge set the early tone with the visitors pressing us high and this young Hibs team was struggling to cope at times. Their pressure told around the ten minute mark when a headed clearance by Ambrose found Gardyne all alone on the edge of the box. The County man hammered a low shot which Laidlaw looked like he might have covered but a deflection resulted in the ball ending up in the net. I have to say the manner of the goal irked me somewhat as Gardyne had all the time in the world and not a Hibs player near him. The very same thing happened in Perth and again in Molde. I like that we leave players up the park when defending a corner but not if it means an opponent is presented with the easiest of chances to get a shot on goal.
For a few minutes after the goal we looked a bit unsettled but fine play involving Shaw and Boyle resulted in the latter causing Scott Fox to get down sharply, pushing the effort round the post. That seemed to settle Hibs a bit and they started to put together a decent passing game in midfield. The ball reached Horgan wide on the left and his quick feet took him past a defender and allowed an excellent back post cross to be bulleted home via the head of David Gray. It was Hibs that now enjoyed the best of the attacking play with Hyndman, Mallan and Horgan probing and trying to set Shaw and/or Boyle free. Horgan fired an effort just wide and then a cracking pass from Shaw put Boyle through for a one on one but disappointingly the Hibs man shot straight at Fox.
Next, Hyndman set Boyle up again but the wide man’s left footed effort was well saved by Fox who was the busiest keeper at that stage. County almost conceded an own goal but Fox reacted quickest to drop on a loose ball before all of the Hibs misses looked like they might cost them when County almost snatched a lead on the stroke of half time. An Arthur Montford stramash in the box saw Laidlaw drop on the ball only to be kicked in the head by Morris who was a lucky boy to only get a warning from the ref.
The second half started with County very much on the front foot and Hibs were finding it difficult to get forward at all. A silly free kick conceded by Porteous in the D of the penalty area allowed Vigurs to strike a free kick with the ball looking to go in the top corner but Laidlaw flew across his goal to make an excellent save. County though sensed blood and a low cross from their right was heading straight into Laidlaw’s arms but Ambrose got in the way and dallied over his clearance and then bundled the lively McManus over in the box. The ref seemed to take a while to make his mind up but it was pretty clearly a penalty. Ex Livingston man Josh Mullin took the kick and although Laidlaw got fingers to it the power in the strike beat him. Hibs were rocking now and Laidlaw once again came to the rescue by making fine saves from both Kelly and Gardyne.
Having survived an onslaught, Hibs began to get forward more and looked dangerous whenever Horgan or Mallan had possession. It was the latter of those two that got Hibs level with a stunning strike from about twenty five yards with Scott Fox rooted to the spot as the ball flew past him. That was Mallan’s sixth of the season with every one of them coming from outside the penalty area. It was anybody’s game at that point with both teams going for the win. Thankfully it was Hibs that succeeded when Horgan, some twenty odd yards from goal, jinked to his right, wrong footing his marker, before switching to his left and curling a glorious drive into the bottom corner.
It was a tough game for Hibs but it must surely be kept in mind that County fielded a far more seasoned starting eleven. We rode our luck at times but you have to admire the character of a predominantly young and inexperienced side.
The player
Ross – I thought he had a very good game and could not be faulted for either goal. Indeed he had a few saves that kept us in it. It was ironic that the message from the home stands was for him to be quicker in releasing the ball, only for the same stands to demand he take his time when we were 3-2 up with seconds to play.
SDG – It tickles me that the stadium announcer, when reading out the teams, says “At number 2, it’s Sir David Gray” but given Dave’s fondness for scoring against teams in blue he deserves that accolade.
Efe – This wasn’t Efe at his best and the grumblings from the stands seem to be getting louder with every game. Basic errors and bad decision making gets us in trouble too often and I just wish he could fully concentrate in every game because he’s a wonderful player when at his best.
Ryan – I thought Ryan struggled a little against the livewire that is Declan McManus but at times and especially late in the game he was a rock. The laddie is still learning and yes, he makes mistakes but learning from those mistakes will make him a better player.
Lewis – At one point in the first half a Lewis pass went straight to a County player and the reaction of those around me was of utter shock. It happens so rarely that reaction was understandable. Thankfully he was fine for the rest of the game.
Boyler – I thought Martin should have had a first half hat trick but his composure let him down and he was largely anonymous in the second half. I really like the laddie as a player but it has to be said he’s kinda chicken hearted in fifty/fifty situations.
Stevie – He showed again that he can pick a pass and at times he reminds me of Scott Allan but he needs to be at it for the whole ninety minutes and I don’t think he was today.
Emerson – The lad has very clever feet and he made a number of good runs and passes today but seemed to run out of steam after an hour or so.
Scotty – I was delighted to see that Scott was in the starting eleven. I love his dynamism and his willingness to mix it. When the ball was leathered into his face from close range he didn’t even flinch and I was disappointed he was replaced at half time but I’ve since heard he suffered a broken nose after that ball hit him square on.
Daryl – After a very tentative opening fifteen minutes I thought he came on to a very good game. He has great pace, is good with both feet and looked equally at home when out wide or in the centre where he finished the game. Excellent cross for the first Hibs goal and a sublime finish for the winner he gets my man of the match today.
Oli – Largely left to forage on his own for most of the game I think he demonstrated that he’s good at taking the ball in, laying it off and winning his fair share of headers.
Whitty – It rips my knitting when I hear groans around me as Whitty is announced as coming off the bench. He had a solid if unspectacular forty five minutes and deserves better from the fans in my opinion. It’s one thing criticising him on a messageboard but it’s quite another during a game when support should be the first thing on every fans mind.
Jamie – Replaced the tiring Hyndman but had little effect on the game when his supply of ball was predominantly in the air against a giant of a centre half.
Paul – Brought on, I think, to stiffen the defence in the closing stages and achieved that aim.
Lenny – I heard his interview on the way home and pretty much agreed with what he said in relation to the game. Was cagey when asked about new signings but did say “never say never” so time will tell I guess.
Clancy – Inept and a bit of a coward in allowing Vigurs to last the entire ninety minutes.
The fans – I’m told it was just shy of 8,500 and I have to say the atmosphere was pretty flat. Did the Since1875 folk just decide to boycott the game as their normal area was pretty deserted, just like the FF Lower.