Jonnyboy
15-04-2023, 05:42 PM
I’m only just getting my breath back after watching a fantastic Hibs performance. The home side was superb throughout and in truth, Hearts were lucky to lose by only one goal. I do, however, find myself mystified as to how this latest performance has been missing in our shocking defeats to Motherwell and Dundee United. The spirit and fight shown by our players today should be in evidence every time they take to the pitch.
Lee Johnson made three changes, bringing in Stevenson, Hanlon and Doyle-Hayes to replace Cabraja, Campbell and McKirdy. When I saw the team lines, I couldn’t decide how they would set up but got one clue when I watched a back four exercise during the warm up. It looked like Egan-Riley would play at right back with Cadden pushed forward into a midfield berth and I have to say that worked really well. As an aside, I was amused when the stadium announcer welcomed all present to the biggest football ground in the Capital.
For more years than I care to remember, Hibs have allowed Hearts’ physical approach to knock them out of their stride but today, it was clear from the off that this Hibs team would not fall foul of that weakness and early crunching tackles by Doyle-Hayes and Newell went down well with the home support. Taking exception was Devlin who flew into a challenge that knocked Nisbet off his feet.
An early injury to Smith forced his replacement by Atkinson, that being a right back for a right back. Doyle-Hayes and Egan-Riley were quick to the tackle and the latter was booked around the ten minute mark for felling McKay. Moments later, Kingsley felled Cadden, but referee John Beaton didn’t see it as a yellow card challenge.
Hibs were enjoying decent possession and were moving the ball quickly, but the first real chance of the game fell to Forrest who screwed a shot wide of the post. A corner then allowed Hanlon to divert a header into the path of Newell, but Joe’s fierce volley was rising and cleared the bar. Devlin, who was living up to his reputation as a fierce tackler was just a little too fierce when he felled Newell with that tackle earning the Hearts man a yellow card. Seconds later, Doyle-Hayes saw yellow for a pretty crude challenge on Forrest, and it was clear that this physical battle was very much two sided.
A corner found the head of Shankland but the header was weak and easily saved by Marshall. Nisbet was giving Rowles all sorts of problems and when he won a corner it saw Newell fire in a cross that Hearts were struggling to clear. The ball fell to Youan, but the striker hurried the shot and Clark saved easily. There followed a period of play that witnessed Hibs camped in and around the Hearts penalty area and during that spell, Doyle-Hayes shot wide, Youan shot high, and Nisbet had a shot blocked by a last ditch challenge by Sibbick.
Marshall made his one real save of the half when a McKay cross found the head of Halliday, but Marshall was well positioned to save. In the last five or so minutes of the half, Hearts began to venture forward more often. A Shankland shot was straight at the keeper and then McKay had an effort blocked well by Will Fish meaning the sides went in level at half time.
Hibs came out of the blocks again and Cadden won a free kick wide on the right which, when delivered, arrived at the feet of Youan but his strike at goal was weak and didn’t bother Clark. With Newell prompting from the middle, Hibs were very much on the front foot and a Nisbet shot, where he cut in from the right and shot with his left foot, went just beyond the far post with Clark beaten. Cadden had worked tirelessly on the right but was caught out when a ball reached McKay, allowing the Hearts man to run into space until that is, Cadden caught up and pulled McKay back, getting a yellow card for the challenge.
Around this time, Hearts replaced Forrest with Humphrys, placing him wide right to face Stevenson. In sixty seven minutes, Atkinson conceded a corner which Doyle-Hayes sent to the back post. Hanlon outjumped his marker and sent a header back into the middle which Nisbet volleyed into the roof of the net, bringing an enormous roar of approval from the home stands. It had been a long time coming but it was as deserved as it was welcomed.
Obviously, Hearts had to try and put more effort into getting forward and Lee Johnson perhaps realised that Doyle-Hayes had run his race and replaced him with the fresh legs of Campbell. The newcomer was soon involved as he fed the ball to Newell. Joe looked up and saw a great run from Nisbet and fired a pass to his feet. Kevin faced his marker, cut inside and hit a low drive that missed the target. Campbell and Youan were well placed to receive a pass had Nisbet lifted his head.
Desperate to try and salvage something, Naismith replaced Halliday and Grant with Cochrane and Kiomourtzoglou, but Hibs were defending well and Naismith’s hopes of a positive turn to the game were dashed. A quick break by Hibs saw Nisbet clean through but Kevin’s shot was poor and once again Campbell and Youan were frustrated at not being picked out. The run Nisbet had made basically ended his game as he limped off to be replaced by Kuharevich. Youan was being fed the ball down the left and you could see that the Hearts defence were worried by his pace, but Elie frustrated the home support on more occasions than not by either trying to beat the same man twice or, worse, getting to the bye line and failing to pick out a team mate in the middle. Still, he did get past Atkinson once too often for the Hearts defenders liking and was hauled down earning Atkinson a yellow card.
Newell was next in the book for a crude challenge on Shankland and as the minutes ticked away the visitors grew more and more desperate, throwing more and more men forward but they still struggled to get a clear site of Marshall’s goal whilst leaving space at the back for Hibs to exploit. Egan-Riley and Newell looked as though they’d given their all and were replaced by Miller and Henderson. A stupid Kingsley tackle left Cadden in a heap and earned the Hearts man a booking before a poor challenge from Campbell felled Kiomourtzoglou prompting a bit of a melee in front of the dugouts. Players were rushing in from all directions and I was astonished to see Egan-Riley dash from the bench to haul Campbell free from the struggle. Sibbick was also booked before the game restarted.
Moving into four added minutes, a Hanlon challenge on Shankland, around twenty yards from goal brought a huge groan from the home support as it presented the visitors with a chance to grab a point that they surely didn’t deserve. Kingsley stepped forward but struck his fierce shot straight at the wall and when the ball found its way to McKay, Miller earned a huge cheer for blocking any shot at goal.
The game was over and the outcome just. As expected, Sunshine on Leith was belted out and it was clear as they walked around clapping the fans that a few of the players, and Lee Johnson were joining in. The three points drew us closer to Aberdeen, Hearts and St. Mirren but a home win by Livingston means they are still only a point behind, so we simply have to beat St. Johnstone next week as Livi will fancy getting a result away to Dundee United.
The players
Marshall – Had a very quiet afternoon and was never really troubled.
Egan-Riley – Hearts tried to play down that side a fair bit, but CJ never looked truly troubled.
Fish – Outstanding from the young man. Dominant in the air and good in sending decent passes forward.
Hanlon – This was Paul at his very best as he coped with everything that Hearts had to offer offensively.
Stevenson – Solid as a rock and won his personal battles against Forrest and then Humphrys.
Cadden – Playing in this advance role I thought he looked comfortable enough there and though his crossing ability is sometimes criticised I felt the majority of those today were decent.
Doyle-Hayes – His steel in the middle of the park did much to stifle their midfield from creating much.
Jeggo – Got around the pitch well and pretty much neutralised Halliday and Grant.
Newell – From the first minute until he was subbed, I thought Joe was outstanding. Urging forward movement and fierce enough in the tackle he thoroughly deserves my man of the match award.
Youan – So damned frustrating, the highlight of his game was that he forced Hearts to keep more defenders back as they were terrified of his pace.
Nisbet – What a game Kevin had. Fabulous control at times and good hold up play my only criticism would be that on two occasions he was too greedy and didn’t pick out a better placed team mate. His goal though, was a peach!
Campbell – His industry is remarkable though I thought he got away with only a yellow when a red might have been given. Having said that, I assume VAR checks bookings and there was no call to John Beaton to reconsider his view.
Kuharevich – Played his part well in getting and retaining possession of the ball when Hibs were breaking out from the back.
Miller – A warmly welcomed boot into the stands late on!
Henderson – Like Miller, he cleared the ball when danger lurked.
Lee Johnson – There’s been a lot of talk around what he says and how he says it but for me, that should be secondary to what he does. Guilty, in my view of bizarre selections and sometimes even more bizarre tactics, I think he got both spot on today and I totally agreed with all he said post-match.
Referee – Probably got the bookings right but some very odd decisions over and above. It seems, when Hearts are attacking, two balls on the pitch is not a problem! To steal a phrase shouted loudly by the Ross County fans last night – he’s just a Hun with a whistle.
Lee Johnson made three changes, bringing in Stevenson, Hanlon and Doyle-Hayes to replace Cabraja, Campbell and McKirdy. When I saw the team lines, I couldn’t decide how they would set up but got one clue when I watched a back four exercise during the warm up. It looked like Egan-Riley would play at right back with Cadden pushed forward into a midfield berth and I have to say that worked really well. As an aside, I was amused when the stadium announcer welcomed all present to the biggest football ground in the Capital.
For more years than I care to remember, Hibs have allowed Hearts’ physical approach to knock them out of their stride but today, it was clear from the off that this Hibs team would not fall foul of that weakness and early crunching tackles by Doyle-Hayes and Newell went down well with the home support. Taking exception was Devlin who flew into a challenge that knocked Nisbet off his feet.
An early injury to Smith forced his replacement by Atkinson, that being a right back for a right back. Doyle-Hayes and Egan-Riley were quick to the tackle and the latter was booked around the ten minute mark for felling McKay. Moments later, Kingsley felled Cadden, but referee John Beaton didn’t see it as a yellow card challenge.
Hibs were enjoying decent possession and were moving the ball quickly, but the first real chance of the game fell to Forrest who screwed a shot wide of the post. A corner then allowed Hanlon to divert a header into the path of Newell, but Joe’s fierce volley was rising and cleared the bar. Devlin, who was living up to his reputation as a fierce tackler was just a little too fierce when he felled Newell with that tackle earning the Hearts man a yellow card. Seconds later, Doyle-Hayes saw yellow for a pretty crude challenge on Forrest, and it was clear that this physical battle was very much two sided.
A corner found the head of Shankland but the header was weak and easily saved by Marshall. Nisbet was giving Rowles all sorts of problems and when he won a corner it saw Newell fire in a cross that Hearts were struggling to clear. The ball fell to Youan, but the striker hurried the shot and Clark saved easily. There followed a period of play that witnessed Hibs camped in and around the Hearts penalty area and during that spell, Doyle-Hayes shot wide, Youan shot high, and Nisbet had a shot blocked by a last ditch challenge by Sibbick.
Marshall made his one real save of the half when a McKay cross found the head of Halliday, but Marshall was well positioned to save. In the last five or so minutes of the half, Hearts began to venture forward more often. A Shankland shot was straight at the keeper and then McKay had an effort blocked well by Will Fish meaning the sides went in level at half time.
Hibs came out of the blocks again and Cadden won a free kick wide on the right which, when delivered, arrived at the feet of Youan but his strike at goal was weak and didn’t bother Clark. With Newell prompting from the middle, Hibs were very much on the front foot and a Nisbet shot, where he cut in from the right and shot with his left foot, went just beyond the far post with Clark beaten. Cadden had worked tirelessly on the right but was caught out when a ball reached McKay, allowing the Hearts man to run into space until that is, Cadden caught up and pulled McKay back, getting a yellow card for the challenge.
Around this time, Hearts replaced Forrest with Humphrys, placing him wide right to face Stevenson. In sixty seven minutes, Atkinson conceded a corner which Doyle-Hayes sent to the back post. Hanlon outjumped his marker and sent a header back into the middle which Nisbet volleyed into the roof of the net, bringing an enormous roar of approval from the home stands. It had been a long time coming but it was as deserved as it was welcomed.
Obviously, Hearts had to try and put more effort into getting forward and Lee Johnson perhaps realised that Doyle-Hayes had run his race and replaced him with the fresh legs of Campbell. The newcomer was soon involved as he fed the ball to Newell. Joe looked up and saw a great run from Nisbet and fired a pass to his feet. Kevin faced his marker, cut inside and hit a low drive that missed the target. Campbell and Youan were well placed to receive a pass had Nisbet lifted his head.
Desperate to try and salvage something, Naismith replaced Halliday and Grant with Cochrane and Kiomourtzoglou, but Hibs were defending well and Naismith’s hopes of a positive turn to the game were dashed. A quick break by Hibs saw Nisbet clean through but Kevin’s shot was poor and once again Campbell and Youan were frustrated at not being picked out. The run Nisbet had made basically ended his game as he limped off to be replaced by Kuharevich. Youan was being fed the ball down the left and you could see that the Hearts defence were worried by his pace, but Elie frustrated the home support on more occasions than not by either trying to beat the same man twice or, worse, getting to the bye line and failing to pick out a team mate in the middle. Still, he did get past Atkinson once too often for the Hearts defenders liking and was hauled down earning Atkinson a yellow card.
Newell was next in the book for a crude challenge on Shankland and as the minutes ticked away the visitors grew more and more desperate, throwing more and more men forward but they still struggled to get a clear site of Marshall’s goal whilst leaving space at the back for Hibs to exploit. Egan-Riley and Newell looked as though they’d given their all and were replaced by Miller and Henderson. A stupid Kingsley tackle left Cadden in a heap and earned the Hearts man a booking before a poor challenge from Campbell felled Kiomourtzoglou prompting a bit of a melee in front of the dugouts. Players were rushing in from all directions and I was astonished to see Egan-Riley dash from the bench to haul Campbell free from the struggle. Sibbick was also booked before the game restarted.
Moving into four added minutes, a Hanlon challenge on Shankland, around twenty yards from goal brought a huge groan from the home support as it presented the visitors with a chance to grab a point that they surely didn’t deserve. Kingsley stepped forward but struck his fierce shot straight at the wall and when the ball found its way to McKay, Miller earned a huge cheer for blocking any shot at goal.
The game was over and the outcome just. As expected, Sunshine on Leith was belted out and it was clear as they walked around clapping the fans that a few of the players, and Lee Johnson were joining in. The three points drew us closer to Aberdeen, Hearts and St. Mirren but a home win by Livingston means they are still only a point behind, so we simply have to beat St. Johnstone next week as Livi will fancy getting a result away to Dundee United.
The players
Marshall – Had a very quiet afternoon and was never really troubled.
Egan-Riley – Hearts tried to play down that side a fair bit, but CJ never looked truly troubled.
Fish – Outstanding from the young man. Dominant in the air and good in sending decent passes forward.
Hanlon – This was Paul at his very best as he coped with everything that Hearts had to offer offensively.
Stevenson – Solid as a rock and won his personal battles against Forrest and then Humphrys.
Cadden – Playing in this advance role I thought he looked comfortable enough there and though his crossing ability is sometimes criticised I felt the majority of those today were decent.
Doyle-Hayes – His steel in the middle of the park did much to stifle their midfield from creating much.
Jeggo – Got around the pitch well and pretty much neutralised Halliday and Grant.
Newell – From the first minute until he was subbed, I thought Joe was outstanding. Urging forward movement and fierce enough in the tackle he thoroughly deserves my man of the match award.
Youan – So damned frustrating, the highlight of his game was that he forced Hearts to keep more defenders back as they were terrified of his pace.
Nisbet – What a game Kevin had. Fabulous control at times and good hold up play my only criticism would be that on two occasions he was too greedy and didn’t pick out a better placed team mate. His goal though, was a peach!
Campbell – His industry is remarkable though I thought he got away with only a yellow when a red might have been given. Having said that, I assume VAR checks bookings and there was no call to John Beaton to reconsider his view.
Kuharevich – Played his part well in getting and retaining possession of the ball when Hibs were breaking out from the back.
Miller – A warmly welcomed boot into the stands late on!
Henderson – Like Miller, he cleared the ball when danger lurked.
Lee Johnson – There’s been a lot of talk around what he says and how he says it but for me, that should be secondary to what he does. Guilty, in my view of bizarre selections and sometimes even more bizarre tactics, I think he got both spot on today and I totally agreed with all he said post-match.
Referee – Probably got the bookings right but some very odd decisions over and above. It seems, when Hearts are attacking, two balls on the pitch is not a problem! To steal a phrase shouted loudly by the Ross County fans last night – he’s just a Hun with a whistle.