Jonnyboy
13-03-2021, 05:26 PM
Jack Ross was well aware of the importance of winning this game and made just one change to his starting line up in bringing in Doidge for Nisbet and it was clear from the off that Hibs were fired up and ready to go. The first 45 minutes although bringing no goals were the best I’ve seen Hibs play for some weeks.
As early as the fourth minute we should have taken the lead when Boyle pounced on a poor pass back and fed the ball to Cadden who skied his effort from about eight yards out. It was a shocking miss and will no doubt haunt the Hibs man in his sleep tonight. Soon after, Boyle was just offside as Irvine slotted the ball through to him. It was quick thinking from Irvine, and he’d try the same thing again throughout the game.
A bog standard foul by Gogic was penalised by the issue of a yellow card by referee John Beaton who must have had a different view of the challenge to everyone else. A decent through ball from Porteous looked to have set Boyle free but once again he was called offside. A wonderful low ball across the six yard box by Doig caught Doidge on his heels when the ball was just begging to be poked home.
Around the twenty five minute mark, Josh Doig cut in from the left and from near the edge of the County box he curled a right foot effort that just cleared Laidlaw’s bar. Hibs were bossing things and a Doidge header was well saved by Laidlaw although the ref had already blown for an infringement. Laidlaw was having a fine game and as it turned out he stopped his side getting a bit of a tanking.
Another fine pass from Irvine set Boyle free and the Hibs man slotted the ball home but once again, an offside flag had been raised. It’s hard to tell from TV pictures but that looked to be a very tight decision.
County started to enjoy a bit more meaningful possession for a while, but Marciano was largely untroubled, and the next decent chance actually fell to Hibs as Doidge wheeled in the box to send an angled drive in, but the ball flew over the bar. It was a difficult chance and would have been an exceptional finish had the shot gone in.
As the half drew to a close, Irvine once again sent Boyle through and once again offside was given much to the consternation of the Hibs man who looked to have timed his run perfectly. Quite how the half finished goalless is a mystery as Hibs made enough decent chances but were often thwarted by excellent goalkeeping from Ross Laidlaw.
It seemed highly likely that the half time talk by John Hughes would ensure a more competitive and fired up County, but the first chance of the half fell to Cadden who raced on to a pass from Irvine but hit his shot against the keepers’ legs. Typically, just a minute or so later, County took the lead when a hooked clearance by Porteous went straight to Naismith who lofted a ball back in that Hibs failed to defend properly, allowing White to head the ball to Billy McKay who slotted home from close range. In watching the replay, I felt the ball was in the air long enough that Rocky could have come and collected it.
Given our recent reaction to going behind in games I was fearing the worst but a minute or so after conceding, Hibs were awarded a penalty when Boyle went down in the box under a challenge from Iacovitti. Some may feel it was soft but there was definitely a tangle of legs and John Beaton didn’t hesitate in making his decision. It was interesting to watch Ross Laidlaw trying to wind Boyler up as the ref sorted out the many complaining County players, but the Hibs man had the last laugh in ramming home the spot kick. This was exactly the kind of reaction to going behind that has been sadly missing in the recent past.
In the aftermath of the goal being scored, Jack Ross replaced Cadden with Nisbet who joined Doidge up front with Boyle moving wide on the right. Hibs were pushing hard now but Boyle pushed just a little too hard and caught Hjelde as the defender cleared the ball. It was a yellow card all day long, even though the County players surrounded Beaton insisting on a red. There was some red involved as during the challenge, Boyle took a bash in the mouth that required treatment to stem the flow of blood.
For some reason, Hibs began to struggle a bit defensively – no doubt because John Hughes had instructed his players to get the ball into the Hibs box at every opportunity. On one such occasion we failed to clear our lines and Keith Watson blasted a shot at goal from ten yards only to see Rocky make a fine save and then another in smothering a follow up effort from White. At the other end, Boyle went down in the box again, but John Beaton wasn’t interested, and replays showed the ref was correct in his interpretation of events.
Level again, Hibs set about looking for another goal and only a stunning double save from Laidlaw prevented them from securing it. First, Boyle was set free, but Laidlaw blocked his effort at goal. The ball reached Gogic who hammered a low effort on target only for the ex Hibs man to save again with his feet. Still Hibs kept the pressure on and fine play from Hanlon and Doidge saw the ball reach Nisbet at the far post; Kevin gleefully tapping the ball home to end his goal drought.
With around twenty minutes left, John Hughes made a triple substitution and County began to enjoy more possession and Hibs were struggling a bit to keep them out. Naismith and Hjelde both had efforts blocked as Hibs showed little attacking intent. Doig was then replaced by Stevenson, the former looking dead on his feet as he left the pitch.
High balls into the box were causing all sorts of problems for Hibs and one such ball was met by Jordan White whose header crashed off the outside of a post with Marciano rooted to the spot. In pushing so many men forward, County were a bit open at the back and Irvine found space to slide the ball through to Nisbet who bore down on goal but had his effort saved once again by Laidlaw who had enjoyed a fine afternoon. Moments later, Irvine again found Nisbet and again Laidlaw denied the Hibs man.
As County poured forward again, Joe Newell was rightly booked for a foul on Paton and was lucky to escape a second when a few minutes later he kicked the ball away to prevent a quick free kick. I’m thinking Joe was frustrated because the free kick had been awarded against him for a perfectly legal challenge on a County player.
John Hughes then brought on Oli Shaw and the former Hibs man had a quick opportunity to make his mark but his effort from just outside the box was brilliantly blocked by Porteous. Soon after, Nisbet broke away with Doidge to his left and Kevin played the big man in, but Doidge took too long to get his shot away and the chance to ensure the points was gone.
With the clock running down, White got another free header away, but the ball sailed wide. Presumably fed up watching them winning so many headers, Jack Ross replaced Doidge with McGregor and the change worked well enough as Hibs saw out the four added minutes by taking the ball into the corners at every opportunity.
The players
Marciano – I’m still uncertain as to whether I’m being harsh on Rocky not coming for the ball when we went behind but also have to praise him for that excellent double save in the second half.
McGinn – Paul has had a shaky few week’s performance wise but I thought he was solid enough today.
Porteous – Ryan had a bit of a torrid time against Jordan White but won more headers than he lost to the County man.
Hanlon – Once again Paul endeavoured to lead by example and it’s worthy of praise that it was his ball that reached Nisbet for the winning goal.
Cadden – Chris needs to find his shooting boots as that’s two games in a row now that he’s missed gilt edged chances to score.
Irvine – Looking back over the game and writing this stuff up it reminded me of just how good a game Jackson had. Playing further forward than of late he was by far the most creative in our midfield and gets my man of the match award.
Gogic – In my view his booking was harsh but fair play to Alex because he didn’t change his style of play and put in the hard yards in the middle of the park.
Newell – Joe played a bit deeper today I thought and though he didn’t particularly stand out, he put in a good shift and was excellent in helping to see out time at the end.
Doig – His ball across the area early on deserved to be attacked as it was on a plate. Also, his right footed curler was decent. Looked very tired when he came off and I’m not surprised because he puts 100% effort into everything he does.
Boyle – Clever movement but going just too soon resulted in a few offside decisions. Won the penalty, which I think was a spot kick despite what that slaver John Hughes said after the game and fired it home. Got lucky with the second ‘penalty’ incident though.
Doidge – Still a stranger to the score sheet he continues to give his all and played a key role in the build up to Nisbet’s goal.
Nisbet – Kevin did exactly what Doidge should have done with Doig’s low cross in the first half. He anticipated the ball might come to him and positioned himself accordingly. I think the smiling celebration says it all.
Stevenson – Interestingly, Naismith didn’t get nearly as many opportunities to deliver crosses after Lewis came on. We were defending a lead and he helped ensure we retained it.
McGregor – Big Daz only got about five minutes or so but won a couple of headers during that time.
Jack Ross – He is often criticised for not geeing the players up enough. He certainly achieved that today and I’m delighted for him.
Referee – John Beaton is John Beaton – end of.
As early as the fourth minute we should have taken the lead when Boyle pounced on a poor pass back and fed the ball to Cadden who skied his effort from about eight yards out. It was a shocking miss and will no doubt haunt the Hibs man in his sleep tonight. Soon after, Boyle was just offside as Irvine slotted the ball through to him. It was quick thinking from Irvine, and he’d try the same thing again throughout the game.
A bog standard foul by Gogic was penalised by the issue of a yellow card by referee John Beaton who must have had a different view of the challenge to everyone else. A decent through ball from Porteous looked to have set Boyle free but once again he was called offside. A wonderful low ball across the six yard box by Doig caught Doidge on his heels when the ball was just begging to be poked home.
Around the twenty five minute mark, Josh Doig cut in from the left and from near the edge of the County box he curled a right foot effort that just cleared Laidlaw’s bar. Hibs were bossing things and a Doidge header was well saved by Laidlaw although the ref had already blown for an infringement. Laidlaw was having a fine game and as it turned out he stopped his side getting a bit of a tanking.
Another fine pass from Irvine set Boyle free and the Hibs man slotted the ball home but once again, an offside flag had been raised. It’s hard to tell from TV pictures but that looked to be a very tight decision.
County started to enjoy a bit more meaningful possession for a while, but Marciano was largely untroubled, and the next decent chance actually fell to Hibs as Doidge wheeled in the box to send an angled drive in, but the ball flew over the bar. It was a difficult chance and would have been an exceptional finish had the shot gone in.
As the half drew to a close, Irvine once again sent Boyle through and once again offside was given much to the consternation of the Hibs man who looked to have timed his run perfectly. Quite how the half finished goalless is a mystery as Hibs made enough decent chances but were often thwarted by excellent goalkeeping from Ross Laidlaw.
It seemed highly likely that the half time talk by John Hughes would ensure a more competitive and fired up County, but the first chance of the half fell to Cadden who raced on to a pass from Irvine but hit his shot against the keepers’ legs. Typically, just a minute or so later, County took the lead when a hooked clearance by Porteous went straight to Naismith who lofted a ball back in that Hibs failed to defend properly, allowing White to head the ball to Billy McKay who slotted home from close range. In watching the replay, I felt the ball was in the air long enough that Rocky could have come and collected it.
Given our recent reaction to going behind in games I was fearing the worst but a minute or so after conceding, Hibs were awarded a penalty when Boyle went down in the box under a challenge from Iacovitti. Some may feel it was soft but there was definitely a tangle of legs and John Beaton didn’t hesitate in making his decision. It was interesting to watch Ross Laidlaw trying to wind Boyler up as the ref sorted out the many complaining County players, but the Hibs man had the last laugh in ramming home the spot kick. This was exactly the kind of reaction to going behind that has been sadly missing in the recent past.
In the aftermath of the goal being scored, Jack Ross replaced Cadden with Nisbet who joined Doidge up front with Boyle moving wide on the right. Hibs were pushing hard now but Boyle pushed just a little too hard and caught Hjelde as the defender cleared the ball. It was a yellow card all day long, even though the County players surrounded Beaton insisting on a red. There was some red involved as during the challenge, Boyle took a bash in the mouth that required treatment to stem the flow of blood.
For some reason, Hibs began to struggle a bit defensively – no doubt because John Hughes had instructed his players to get the ball into the Hibs box at every opportunity. On one such occasion we failed to clear our lines and Keith Watson blasted a shot at goal from ten yards only to see Rocky make a fine save and then another in smothering a follow up effort from White. At the other end, Boyle went down in the box again, but John Beaton wasn’t interested, and replays showed the ref was correct in his interpretation of events.
Level again, Hibs set about looking for another goal and only a stunning double save from Laidlaw prevented them from securing it. First, Boyle was set free, but Laidlaw blocked his effort at goal. The ball reached Gogic who hammered a low effort on target only for the ex Hibs man to save again with his feet. Still Hibs kept the pressure on and fine play from Hanlon and Doidge saw the ball reach Nisbet at the far post; Kevin gleefully tapping the ball home to end his goal drought.
With around twenty minutes left, John Hughes made a triple substitution and County began to enjoy more possession and Hibs were struggling a bit to keep them out. Naismith and Hjelde both had efforts blocked as Hibs showed little attacking intent. Doig was then replaced by Stevenson, the former looking dead on his feet as he left the pitch.
High balls into the box were causing all sorts of problems for Hibs and one such ball was met by Jordan White whose header crashed off the outside of a post with Marciano rooted to the spot. In pushing so many men forward, County were a bit open at the back and Irvine found space to slide the ball through to Nisbet who bore down on goal but had his effort saved once again by Laidlaw who had enjoyed a fine afternoon. Moments later, Irvine again found Nisbet and again Laidlaw denied the Hibs man.
As County poured forward again, Joe Newell was rightly booked for a foul on Paton and was lucky to escape a second when a few minutes later he kicked the ball away to prevent a quick free kick. I’m thinking Joe was frustrated because the free kick had been awarded against him for a perfectly legal challenge on a County player.
John Hughes then brought on Oli Shaw and the former Hibs man had a quick opportunity to make his mark but his effort from just outside the box was brilliantly blocked by Porteous. Soon after, Nisbet broke away with Doidge to his left and Kevin played the big man in, but Doidge took too long to get his shot away and the chance to ensure the points was gone.
With the clock running down, White got another free header away, but the ball sailed wide. Presumably fed up watching them winning so many headers, Jack Ross replaced Doidge with McGregor and the change worked well enough as Hibs saw out the four added minutes by taking the ball into the corners at every opportunity.
The players
Marciano – I’m still uncertain as to whether I’m being harsh on Rocky not coming for the ball when we went behind but also have to praise him for that excellent double save in the second half.
McGinn – Paul has had a shaky few week’s performance wise but I thought he was solid enough today.
Porteous – Ryan had a bit of a torrid time against Jordan White but won more headers than he lost to the County man.
Hanlon – Once again Paul endeavoured to lead by example and it’s worthy of praise that it was his ball that reached Nisbet for the winning goal.
Cadden – Chris needs to find his shooting boots as that’s two games in a row now that he’s missed gilt edged chances to score.
Irvine – Looking back over the game and writing this stuff up it reminded me of just how good a game Jackson had. Playing further forward than of late he was by far the most creative in our midfield and gets my man of the match award.
Gogic – In my view his booking was harsh but fair play to Alex because he didn’t change his style of play and put in the hard yards in the middle of the park.
Newell – Joe played a bit deeper today I thought and though he didn’t particularly stand out, he put in a good shift and was excellent in helping to see out time at the end.
Doig – His ball across the area early on deserved to be attacked as it was on a plate. Also, his right footed curler was decent. Looked very tired when he came off and I’m not surprised because he puts 100% effort into everything he does.
Boyle – Clever movement but going just too soon resulted in a few offside decisions. Won the penalty, which I think was a spot kick despite what that slaver John Hughes said after the game and fired it home. Got lucky with the second ‘penalty’ incident though.
Doidge – Still a stranger to the score sheet he continues to give his all and played a key role in the build up to Nisbet’s goal.
Nisbet – Kevin did exactly what Doidge should have done with Doig’s low cross in the first half. He anticipated the ball might come to him and positioned himself accordingly. I think the smiling celebration says it all.
Stevenson – Interestingly, Naismith didn’t get nearly as many opportunities to deliver crosses after Lewis came on. We were defending a lead and he helped ensure we retained it.
McGregor – Big Daz only got about five minutes or so but won a couple of headers during that time.
Jack Ross – He is often criticised for not geeing the players up enough. He certainly achieved that today and I’m delighted for him.
Referee – John Beaton is John Beaton – end of.