This is how it feels (Elgin City 19012019)

[Jonnyboy]

Thank goodness the winter break is over and we’re back to watching Hibs again with our first chance coming in today’s fourth round Scottish Cup tie with Elgin City the visitors. I’m glad the break is over for a variety of reasons including the fact that messageboard patrons will have a chance to comment on factual occurrences rather than bicker about who’s right and who’s wrong regarding signings or the lack thereof.

Today’s game was the first in a long while that we didn’t have Efe Ambrose on show. I’ll miss Efe and I wish him well whatever club he ends up joining but as one cult hero departs I think we might just have found his cult hero type replacement in Ryan Gauld. Like the vast majority of dot netters my only real knowledge of the laddie was that he was an exciting young prospect at Dundee United before deciding to try his luck in Portuguese football. I remember him being young and slightly built and when I caught sight of him today I thought those views wouldn’t have to change! He is diminutive but as he proved on many occasions in the 70 minutes he played he is not afraid to put his body on the line. The most striking aspect of his play was his vision and his ability to pick a pass, both of which he demonstrated throughout. I just cannot wait to see him and Scott Allan in the Hibs midfield and I bet Flo and others will share my view.

Gauld sees the movement of others, as ably demonstrated by his superb pass to Kamberi for the opening goal. Picking up the ball in midfield, he looked up and pinged a lovely ball towards the moving Kamberi. The weight of pass meant the ball went beyond Flo’s marker but left enough time for the striker to reach it ahead of the advancing keeper whom he rounded before shooting home from an angle. Prior to all of that, Horgan brought out the first of a number of excellent saves by Elgin keeper McHale and Ryan Gauld twice found room in the Elgin penalty area to send in headers which admittedly went wide of target but enthused me by the fact that he was a midfield player arriving late into the box – something that we’ve missed for a good long while now.

A low drive from Mallan drifted past the far post before that opening goal from Kamberi on the twenty minute mark and then five minutes later a cross into the box by Slivka saw Daryl Horgan bravely go in for a header and as the ball dropped into the net the scorer wouldn’t have seen it because he had collided with McHale and was down on the ground holding his head. With Elgin starting to look a bit overwhelmed, an excellent run deep into the box by Whittaker drew a foul by Omar and referee Nick Walsh showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Up stepped Kamberi who struck a powerful enough drive but keeper McHale guessed right and saved the effort. I heard some criticism of Flo but to me it was a case of the penalty being well saved rather than badly struck.

In a rare foray forward by the visitors, Bogdan had to be alert in coming to smother the ball but in truth all the action was at the other end with McHale manfully holding us at bay with a number of good saves. Right on half time some clever play involving Gauld, Slivka and Kamberi saw the latter named brought to ground in the box. Nick Walsh awarded another penalty with Stevie Mallan taking responsibility for it. In smashing the ball home, he broke with tradition as every other goal he’s struck for Hibs has been from outside the box.

The second half was about a minute old when Elgin had their best and probably only opportunity to score as both Mallan and Bartley allowed Sutherland to muscle past them but his lovely ball to the feet of the unmarked Omar was wasted when the Elgin number seven screwed his shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

Steven Whittaker had been putting in a number of decent crosses with no takers but about ten minutes into the second half his delightful ball to the back post was fired home by Horgan for his second and Hibs’ fourth. A stunning long range drive by Gauld had the Elgin keeper struggling to save it and that proved to be pretty much Ryan’s last contribution as he left the field to a standing ovation to be replaced by Fraser Murray. In what was a double substitution, Kamberi was replaced by Shaw who was picked out by Horgan some eight yards from goal but the ball arrived slightly behind the young striker and by the time he’d sorted his feet out he was closed down.

The substitutions and the four goal lead seemed to affect Hibs’ efforts but whilst Elgin started to enjoy a little more possession the result was never in any doubt. Another Murray rocket shot found the side netting and a howitzer from Mallan caught an Elgin defender in the midriff on its way to the target. A touch of slackness at the back saw Elgin substitute McLeish challenging for the ball with the diving Bogdan. McLeish had every right to contest it but the result was that Bogdan took a blow to the head and had to be replaced by Marciano. That was tough on David Gray who was stripped and ready to come on when Bogdan went down. It made me wonder who would have gone in goal had Gray already joined the fray as our third substitute.

The game was fizzing out by now and the stands beginning to empty as the temperature dropped like a stone. This was not a classic performance and the opposition, though they tried to make a game of it, were not up to much but there were encouraging signs with the form of Gauld, the movement of Kamberi and the goals of Horgan making it a good day at the office. There should never be any doubt that beating lower league opposition at home is a given, but look at the results involving Ayr United, Motherwell and Aberdeen and it’s clear that anything can happen in cup football. I’m just delighted our name is still in the hat.

The players

Adam – The big fella was largely redundant for long periods of play but was there to do his job when called upon. A knock to the head should always be treated with caution and especially so when it’s your goalkeeper. I hope it’s not serious and that he’ll be available on Wednesday night.

Whitty – Apart from a couple of wayward passes and one particularly poor effort at a cross I thought he played well and was involved in winning the first penalty and setting up the fourth goal.

Daz – Looked as solid as a rock although the Elgin number 10, Sutherland made him work for his wages today.

Paul – A few fantastic long diagonal passes and a great reading of the game in general earns Paul pass marks today.

Sean – Looks very comfortable in that left back role and is not afraid to push forward when the chance arises.

Slivka – Playing on the right today and I’ve said before I think he’s wasted out there but today he was very good and involved a lot more than on previous occasions in that role. Always looks to move forward and can pick a pass.

Stevie – I wondered where he’d be asked to play today given the inclusion of Marv and Ryan and in truth I’m not entirely sure I got the answer to that thought. It seemed like a kind of a roving commission and with that in mind I thought he played better than he has of late.

Marv – What can I say that hasn’t been said before about Marv? The job he is given to do, he does very well and today was no exception.

Daryl – I always think he starts games well but kinda drifts out of things later in proceedings but today, although he had a quiet spell around the hour mark, he was involved in a lot of good play and of course scored two goals. The sponsors gave him man of the match and I was tempted to agree with them but as you’ll have gathered, my award went elsewhere.

Ryan – What a debut and what a player we have on our hands. I was hugely impressed by his contribution and the truth is he reminded me very much of Scott Allan at his creative best. As I said earlier, I can’t wait to see them both in our midfield and vying for my man of the match award which today, obviously goes to Ryan Gauld.

Flo – The laddie has been through the mill in recent months with the public criticism and quite a few detractors in the stands but I thought he looked a lot like his old self today, moving well and putting in a decent shift. I accept his penalty effort didn’t go in but as I said earlier it was more a good save than a poor effort.

Oli – I heard criticism of his miss shortly after coming on to replace Flo but am sure he’d have scored had the ball not arrived slightly behind him.

Fraser – Delighted to see this young lad back to fitness and I thought he did well in his twenty minutes on the park.

Rocky – Probably didn’t expect to be involved today and though he got the last ten minutes he had little or nothing to do.

Lenny – Haven’t heard his interview but he surely cannot be anything other than happy with a convincing Scottish Cup win.

The fans – I think I heard 7,000 odd given as the attendance which seems about right. A special mention for the Elgin fans who stuck with their team throughout and shamed the likes of Hamilton and St. Mirren who bring less than half that many when they visit ER.

Referee – Nick Walsh was hardly seen which is just the way it should be with referees.

[BroxburnHibee]

Can't argue with any of that John. It's who makes way for Allan?

Today's showing I would say Mallan but until we have him it's a moot point.

[Keith_M]

Thanks JB

[Sir David Gray]

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Can't argue with any of that John. It's who makes way for Allan?

Today's showing I would say Mallan but until we have him it's a moot point.

I can't see Gauld being with us next season so probably him.

[BroxburnHibee]

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I can't see Gauld being with us next season so probably him.

True. Give him what he wants now

[007]

Thanks for the excellent summary Jonnyboy.
I just hope we get to see Allan and Gauld play together.

[Hibrandenburg]

Thanks JB, you've saved me trawling through the papers for a decent report.

[calumhibee1]

I know others had mentioned it before today but Fraser Murray has got so much bigger. Very good to see and hopefully he can kick on now.

[H18S NX]

Very good summary,i thought Slivka could have been MOM.

[PatHead]

Set off for the match today but turned back due to manflu. Put up with open all mikes during the first half. Fell asleep and didn't hear anything about the second.

Therefore thanks for the update. Roll on the next round.

[Allant1981]

Agree with most except about Shaw, he should have buried his chance

[Baldy Foghorn]

Loved Bartley picking up ball, hibs fans shouting "shoot", and Marv just laughing.

[Benny Brazil]

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Loved Bartley picking up ball, hibs fans shouting "shoot", and Marv just laughing.

That was the best bit of the game today- the grin that was on Marv's face!

[Forza Fred]

Thought Slivka was superb in the first half, and Mallan, very busy too.

I’ve learned over the years not to rush to judgement on players, so will give Ryan Gauld a few more games before offering any useful comment on him.

He did though look diminutive from a physical perspective against Elgin’s big bruisers at the back.

Growing increasingly impressed by Mackie each outing he has, and think just as Porteous has pulled the rug from Daz, that he may do the same to Lewis.

Nothing wrong with Big Daz or Lewis, but natural progression is inevitable....

[calumhibee1]

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Thought Slivka was superb in the first half, and Mallan, very busy too.

I’ve learned over the years not to rush to judgement on players, so will give Ryan Gauld a few more games before offering any useful comment on him.

He did though look diminutive from a physical perspective against Elgin’s big bruisers at the back.

Growing increasingly impressed by Mackie each outing he has, and think just as Porteous has pulled the rug from Daz, that he may do the same to Lewis.

Nothing wrong with Big Daz or Lewis, but natural progression is inevitable....

Porteous I agree he has probably overtaken Daz. Don’t think Mackie is particularly close to overtaking Lewis though. Not a slight on Mackie mind, just think Lewis is still comfortably our best left back.

[Forza Fred]

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Porteous I agree he has probably overtaken Daz. Don’t think Mackie is particularly close to overtaking Lewis though. Not a slight on Mackie mind, just think Lewis is still comfortably our best left back.

Agree, but Mackie is chapping on the door......

[jacomo]

Great write up again JB. Thank you.

Fair enough to include a wee moan at the bickering. The past few weeks have been a bit grim on dot net and I hope we all chill out a bit and recognise that we really are not that far from where we want to be.

Sadly, there’s still a good chance we will never see Gauld and Allan on the pitch together.

[MagicSwirlingShip]

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That was the best bit of the game today- the grin that was on Marv's face!

Get Marv on the penalties man

[AZhibee]

Thanks once again Jonnyboy,
truly impressed by the size of the visiting support.

[BILLYHIBS]

Brilliant as always jonnyboy!

I thought Ryan Gauld looked like Emerson Hyndmans wee brother

Who?

[SirDavidsNapper]

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Thanks once again Jonnyboy,
truly impressed by the size of the visiting support.

Good to see but probably the biggest game in their history

[1van Sprou7e]

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Good to see but probably the biggest game in their history

Aye cause Elgin have never played against premiership opposition before obviously

[marinello59]

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Good to see but probably the biggest game in their history

I doubt it. They came close to knocking Celtic out of the cup in the sixties and had a few 10k plus crowds at their ground for cup ties in the late sixties and early seventies.

[jacomo]

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good to see but probably the biggest game in their history

ffs

[Jonnyboy]

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I know others had mentioned it before today but Fraser Murray has got so much bigger. Very good to see and hopefully he can kick on now.

Was great to see Fraser back in action 👍

[worcesterhibby]

Thanks Great report as always..I though Gaulds debut was excellent, lovely first touch, happy to carry the ball forward and always looking for the killer pass. Equally impressive but for different reasons was Marvin. While others gave the ball away a few times, Marv just kept, winning it back for us, making room for himself and passing to another green shirt. Nothing spectacular, or very offensively minded, but solid as a rock and very dependable distribution. He's be in my first 11 most weeks at the moment. A consistent midfield of ....

Defensive centre midfield - Bartley
Two in front - Mallan and Gauld
Left - Horgan
Right - Slivka

and we will do just fine in the second half of the season.

[JXM73]

Only "criticism" of gauld is he is very left footed, great debut and hope he carries this in to Wednesday's game.

[Souter96Mac]

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Only "criticism" of gauld is he is very left footed, great debut and hope he carries this in to Wednesday's game.

Send him back to Portugal

[BoomtownHibees]

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only "criticism" of gauld is he is very left footed, great debut and hope he carries this in to wednesday's game.

ffs

[HoboHarry]

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Good to see but probably the biggest game in their history

Whit? They've played top league opposition before, I was at the 3-0 game at Ibrox.....

Here, educate yourself before you post nonsense....

http://www.elgincity.net/?page_id=194