Jonnyboy
06-03-2021, 05:19 PM
It was being said during the past week that Jack Ross needed to make changes in the line up because we were too predictable and opposition managers had our measure. Such changes were made today but a quite dismal first half performance, during which they conceded a goal, left Hibs with a familiar mountain to climb as coming back from a goal down is becoming the Achilles heel of Jack Ross’ side.
On a poor playing surface, both sides struggled with the bounce of the ball in the opening stages and from the off this looked like a game where ball players might struggle. Early chances were scarce and neither keeper had a save to make but sixteen minutes in, old boy Liam Craig curled an effort beyond the reach of Marciano from about twenty yards. A cross in from the St Johnstone left might have attracted attention from Marciano but he opted to leave two team mates at the back post to clear the danger. The first of those, Joe Newell made slight contact with his head, causing the ball to rise before falling to Josh Doig whose poor clearance went straight to Craig. The Saints captain benefitted from the fact that, other than a lazy leg from Hanlon, nobody closed him down and Marciano was partially unsighted as the ball flew past him. It was ironic that Wotherspoon won the corner, Booth took it and Craig scored – the curse of the former player(s).
The reaction to this setback was poor as Hibs continually pumped long high balls forward, missing out the midfield and handing Nisbet and Boyle the near impossible task of winning the ball in the air. On the odd occasion that we did try to play through the midfield our trio were slow and ponderous and easily closed down, once again gifting possession to the hosts.
This was truly dismal stuff from Hibs but thankfully St Johnstone, although enjoying the bulk of possession, were finding it difficult to carve out any opportunities to double their lead. One bright spot involved clever interplay between Cadden, Irvine and McGinn but progress was halted when Cadden was adjudged to have used an arm to control the ball when replays of the incident suggested the ball had hit the players chest/stomach. A second bright spot saw the ball reach Newell on the edge of the box, but his left footed effort flew wide with Josh Doig, to Newell’s left, totally unmarked.
As half time approached, Porteous was booked for a pretty innocuous challenge – referee David Dickinson making his mark on his Premiership debut. Right on the half time whistle, Irvine saw a header blocked and so the hosts held the advantage at the break.
I confess I was quite stunned when the same eleven appeared for the second half after such a poor forty five minutes but clearly Jack Ross had had his say because Hibs were like a side transformed. Playing with some urgency and not lobbing the ball forward all the time there was some shape to their efforts as they went in search of an equaliser.
A corner from the left reached Irvine but as he stooped to head the ball at goal, he got too much on it and the effort flew wide of the post. Next, Boyle tried his luck from close range, but his attempt was blocked by McCart. Hibs were hugely improved by this time and ten minutes into the half the ineffectual Cadden was replaced by Doidge who went central to support Nisbet whilst Boyle shifted over to the right side. Just seconds after the substitution, Hibs should have been level when a corner from Boyle reached the head of Hanlon, but the Hibs man couldn’t keep his effort down as the ball cleared the bar.
It was now Hibs dominating possession and St Johnstone looked quite comfortable about defending their lead. Around the sixty five minute mark, a clever short pass from Nisbet at the edge of the box allowed Doidge to get a shot away. It was hit well enough but too close to the keeper who deflected the ball wide for a corner. A couple of minutes later, Boyle tried to jink past Wotherspoon, but the Saints man fouled him and got a deserved yellow card for the challenge.
Hibs continued their push for an equaliser and Josh Doig, who had barely ventured forward in the first half, was now much further up the pitch and unlucky to see a fine right footed effort clear the crossbar. Jack Ross then withdrew Irvine and replaced him with Murphy. Seconds later, Wotherspoon committed the exact same foul on a Hibs man which brought a free kick but no second yellow. Two minutes later, Newell was booked for a similar offense. Granted, it was for persistent fouling, but the fact remains there was inconsistency of approach from the rookie ref.
Doig tried his luck again as the clock ticked down but having worked the space well for himself, he dragged the shot about a foot wide of the target. Jack Ross then made a further change which I admit had me shaking my head in disbelief. Fair enough removing Newell but when you are trying to prise open a tight defence surely you replace like for like and bring on a creative midfielder who can pick a pass? Instead, we got Hallberg and not Allan. Hallberg did ok but he was never going to present the threat that a Scott Allan through ball can.
In helping protect their lead, Calum Davidson replaced Wotherspoon with Tanser and the new arrival very nearly got through on goal, but for a fine challenge by Hanlon in the box. It was like the Alamo now with the minutes ticking down rapidly. Hibs threw everything forward and had half chances through Hanlon, Boyle, Nisbet and McGinn but the ball would just not break favourably for the visitors as St Johnstone defended stoutly to see out the game.
A frustrating outcome after a dismal first half was followed by a much better second and I for one thought Hibs did enough to deserve a share of the points. It’s goals that matter though and with Boyle not scoring his regular goal and a strike force in Nisbet and Doidge going through a drought, the fact that Hamilton held out for a draw at Pittodrie, was all the more important. It is imperative we get back to winning ways soon if we are going to secure third place and the awards that come with that in the shape of prize money and European competition.
The players
Other than brief flashes of decent play by Doig, Hibs were abysmal in the first half and so I’m directing my comments to the second half only.
Marciano – Although he conceded, Rocky had little to do, and I honestly cannot recall another troublesome shot on the goal he was defending.
McGinn – Paul benefitted from the more aggressive play in the second half and defended well enough whilst still managing to get forward on the right on occasion.
Porteous – I reckon Ryan was fine and did the job asked of him. Kane and Melamed are tricky customers but Ryan dealt with them well.
Hanlon – Strove to push his players on in the second half, popping up in all sorts of places in St Johnstone territory but he really should have scored with that headed effort.
Doig – Having been pushed back by O’Halloran in the first half it was Josh doing the pushing back in the second. Two fine efforts at goal and generally had them worried down that side. My man of the match.
Cadden – I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really sure where Chris was actually playing positionally as he seemed to always arrive just as the ball departed. I wasn’t surprised he was subbed.
Irvine – I’ve never joined in the clamour to try and get him signed permanently and it has to be said his outings this week and last have been really poor. In his defence, I think he is much more involved playing further forward than where Jack has been playing him.
Gogic – Alex is what he is, a spoiler and for the most part today he carried off that role well enough.
Newell – Not for the first time I find myself disappointed in Joe. He saw plenty of the ball today but did little or nothing in a creative sense, with most of his passes safe ones.
Boyle – I was pleased when he moved to the right after Doidge came on, but he hardly saw the ball with Hibs continually failing to pick him out.
Nisbet – I saw glimpses of the player we had a few weeks back before the transfer window but over the piece he didn’t really offer enough of a goal threat.
Doidge – Got some lovely flick-on’s but sadly Boyle and/or Nisbet invariably failed to read them. His shot was decent, but you could see from his reaction that he wished he’d struck it for the top corner.
Murphy – Didn’t get involved enough in terms of being given the ball but he does seem to like to have Doig up alongside him to distract defenders.
Hallberg – I’ve nothing against Melker but in truth he shouldn’t have been on the park today with an attacking Hibs trying to prise open a tight defence he’s not got the guile to help achieve that.
Jack Ross – I’ve no doubt he’ll be as disappointed as the rest of us but it’s no good saying we played well in the second half. We need to play well for ninety minutes, not forty five, Jack.
The ref – David Dickinson largely did ok, but he really should have booked Spoony again for that identical challenge after his first yellow.
On a poor playing surface, both sides struggled with the bounce of the ball in the opening stages and from the off this looked like a game where ball players might struggle. Early chances were scarce and neither keeper had a save to make but sixteen minutes in, old boy Liam Craig curled an effort beyond the reach of Marciano from about twenty yards. A cross in from the St Johnstone left might have attracted attention from Marciano but he opted to leave two team mates at the back post to clear the danger. The first of those, Joe Newell made slight contact with his head, causing the ball to rise before falling to Josh Doig whose poor clearance went straight to Craig. The Saints captain benefitted from the fact that, other than a lazy leg from Hanlon, nobody closed him down and Marciano was partially unsighted as the ball flew past him. It was ironic that Wotherspoon won the corner, Booth took it and Craig scored – the curse of the former player(s).
The reaction to this setback was poor as Hibs continually pumped long high balls forward, missing out the midfield and handing Nisbet and Boyle the near impossible task of winning the ball in the air. On the odd occasion that we did try to play through the midfield our trio were slow and ponderous and easily closed down, once again gifting possession to the hosts.
This was truly dismal stuff from Hibs but thankfully St Johnstone, although enjoying the bulk of possession, were finding it difficult to carve out any opportunities to double their lead. One bright spot involved clever interplay between Cadden, Irvine and McGinn but progress was halted when Cadden was adjudged to have used an arm to control the ball when replays of the incident suggested the ball had hit the players chest/stomach. A second bright spot saw the ball reach Newell on the edge of the box, but his left footed effort flew wide with Josh Doig, to Newell’s left, totally unmarked.
As half time approached, Porteous was booked for a pretty innocuous challenge – referee David Dickinson making his mark on his Premiership debut. Right on the half time whistle, Irvine saw a header blocked and so the hosts held the advantage at the break.
I confess I was quite stunned when the same eleven appeared for the second half after such a poor forty five minutes but clearly Jack Ross had had his say because Hibs were like a side transformed. Playing with some urgency and not lobbing the ball forward all the time there was some shape to their efforts as they went in search of an equaliser.
A corner from the left reached Irvine but as he stooped to head the ball at goal, he got too much on it and the effort flew wide of the post. Next, Boyle tried his luck from close range, but his attempt was blocked by McCart. Hibs were hugely improved by this time and ten minutes into the half the ineffectual Cadden was replaced by Doidge who went central to support Nisbet whilst Boyle shifted over to the right side. Just seconds after the substitution, Hibs should have been level when a corner from Boyle reached the head of Hanlon, but the Hibs man couldn’t keep his effort down as the ball cleared the bar.
It was now Hibs dominating possession and St Johnstone looked quite comfortable about defending their lead. Around the sixty five minute mark, a clever short pass from Nisbet at the edge of the box allowed Doidge to get a shot away. It was hit well enough but too close to the keeper who deflected the ball wide for a corner. A couple of minutes later, Boyle tried to jink past Wotherspoon, but the Saints man fouled him and got a deserved yellow card for the challenge.
Hibs continued their push for an equaliser and Josh Doig, who had barely ventured forward in the first half, was now much further up the pitch and unlucky to see a fine right footed effort clear the crossbar. Jack Ross then withdrew Irvine and replaced him with Murphy. Seconds later, Wotherspoon committed the exact same foul on a Hibs man which brought a free kick but no second yellow. Two minutes later, Newell was booked for a similar offense. Granted, it was for persistent fouling, but the fact remains there was inconsistency of approach from the rookie ref.
Doig tried his luck again as the clock ticked down but having worked the space well for himself, he dragged the shot about a foot wide of the target. Jack Ross then made a further change which I admit had me shaking my head in disbelief. Fair enough removing Newell but when you are trying to prise open a tight defence surely you replace like for like and bring on a creative midfielder who can pick a pass? Instead, we got Hallberg and not Allan. Hallberg did ok but he was never going to present the threat that a Scott Allan through ball can.
In helping protect their lead, Calum Davidson replaced Wotherspoon with Tanser and the new arrival very nearly got through on goal, but for a fine challenge by Hanlon in the box. It was like the Alamo now with the minutes ticking down rapidly. Hibs threw everything forward and had half chances through Hanlon, Boyle, Nisbet and McGinn but the ball would just not break favourably for the visitors as St Johnstone defended stoutly to see out the game.
A frustrating outcome after a dismal first half was followed by a much better second and I for one thought Hibs did enough to deserve a share of the points. It’s goals that matter though and with Boyle not scoring his regular goal and a strike force in Nisbet and Doidge going through a drought, the fact that Hamilton held out for a draw at Pittodrie, was all the more important. It is imperative we get back to winning ways soon if we are going to secure third place and the awards that come with that in the shape of prize money and European competition.
The players
Other than brief flashes of decent play by Doig, Hibs were abysmal in the first half and so I’m directing my comments to the second half only.
Marciano – Although he conceded, Rocky had little to do, and I honestly cannot recall another troublesome shot on the goal he was defending.
McGinn – Paul benefitted from the more aggressive play in the second half and defended well enough whilst still managing to get forward on the right on occasion.
Porteous – I reckon Ryan was fine and did the job asked of him. Kane and Melamed are tricky customers but Ryan dealt with them well.
Hanlon – Strove to push his players on in the second half, popping up in all sorts of places in St Johnstone territory but he really should have scored with that headed effort.
Doig – Having been pushed back by O’Halloran in the first half it was Josh doing the pushing back in the second. Two fine efforts at goal and generally had them worried down that side. My man of the match.
Cadden – I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really sure where Chris was actually playing positionally as he seemed to always arrive just as the ball departed. I wasn’t surprised he was subbed.
Irvine – I’ve never joined in the clamour to try and get him signed permanently and it has to be said his outings this week and last have been really poor. In his defence, I think he is much more involved playing further forward than where Jack has been playing him.
Gogic – Alex is what he is, a spoiler and for the most part today he carried off that role well enough.
Newell – Not for the first time I find myself disappointed in Joe. He saw plenty of the ball today but did little or nothing in a creative sense, with most of his passes safe ones.
Boyle – I was pleased when he moved to the right after Doidge came on, but he hardly saw the ball with Hibs continually failing to pick him out.
Nisbet – I saw glimpses of the player we had a few weeks back before the transfer window but over the piece he didn’t really offer enough of a goal threat.
Doidge – Got some lovely flick-on’s but sadly Boyle and/or Nisbet invariably failed to read them. His shot was decent, but you could see from his reaction that he wished he’d struck it for the top corner.
Murphy – Didn’t get involved enough in terms of being given the ball but he does seem to like to have Doig up alongside him to distract defenders.
Hallberg – I’ve nothing against Melker but in truth he shouldn’t have been on the park today with an attacking Hibs trying to prise open a tight defence he’s not got the guile to help achieve that.
Jack Ross – I’ve no doubt he’ll be as disappointed as the rest of us but it’s no good saying we played well in the second half. We need to play well for ninety minutes, not forty five, Jack.
The ref – David Dickinson largely did ok, but he really should have booked Spoony again for that identical challenge after his first yellow.