This is how it feels (Kilmarnock 16 02 20)

[Jonnyboy]

Now that my fingers have finally thawed out I can set about offering up my thoughts on today’s game. I don’t recall ever being so cold at a game with the wind blowing straight at us in the Rugby Park stand. Imagine what it must have felt like to the players of both teams as they manfully tried to play the game in quite appalling windy conditions.

Unsurprisingly, Jack Ross went with the same starting eleven that had trounced Ross County 3-0 whilst Lewis Stevenson replaced Tom James on an otherwise unchanged bench. Prior to kick off, it was known that a positive result would serve to narrow the gap on Aberdeen and Livingston, both beaten earlier in the day.

To their credit, both sides went about their business in a positive way with Hibs having early half chances through Slivka and Newell whilst Killie threatened Rocky’s goal with a Brophy turn and shot and a Burke effort that flew wide. As suggested earlier the conditions were poor and a number of long passes either went astray or fell short of their target. Burke then infuriated me by running fifty yards to complain to the referee who had stopped the game after McNulty was caught flush in the face by the ball.

Martin Boyle seemed to be fair play in terms of fouling him and referee Alan Muir was more than lenient on a number of occasions whilst the whistler was more concerned with players trying to steal a yard or two at throw in’s.

As the half hour mark approached, a McNulty effort was blocked with the ball looking as though it might go out for a corner. Instead the wind kept the ball in play and that allowed Newell to retrieve it before slipping the ball to Docherty who cut inside and rifled home a stunning effort from the angle of the eighteen yard box. It was a brilliant strike and left Koprivec clawing at thin air as the ball flew past him.

Very quickly thereafter, Boyle broke free but his final ball was poor, hitting the first man as both Doidge and McNulty waited in the middle. It would be Boyle that played a pivotal role in the Killie equaliser just a couple of minutes later. A high ball in to the Hibs box was falling to Boyle to clear but his poor effort merely reached Dicker at the edge of the box and the Killie man quickly fed Hamalainen whose shot was deflected towards the unmarked Burke at the far post. The former Rangers man stooped low and headed into the unguarded net.

Hibs were stung by this reversal but soon recovered and right on the stroke of half time Boyle was once again crudely chopped down on the wide right shy line. When the resultant free kick arrived in the box McNulty seemed to get a touch before Adam Jackson knocked the ball beyond Koprivec to restore Hibernians’ lead.

In truth the second half seemed to consist mostly of Hibs clearing crosses into the box from corners, free kicks or indeed open play. There was a few occasions that Hibs broke free but the final pass always seemed to go astray and so a third goal never arrived. Stevenson, who had replaced the injured Newell right at the start of the half certainly had his work cut out as Killie repeatedly offered the ball to Burke and O’Donnell on their right hand side. Both of those Killie players are excellent crossers of the ball and I felt that Lewis could have done with a bit more support from his midfield to help neutralise that danger. It finally arrived about fifteen minutes from time when Horgan replaced Allan. In truth Horgan didn’t do much defending but his presence curtailed O’Donnell’s contribution significantly.

On the way home I was thinking long and hard about our win and I think a huge amount of credit must go to our oft maligned defence as they pretty much dealt with a barrage of high balls into the box. At times they were ably assisted by Doidge who is an excellent defender and who cleared many of the cross balls.

The players

Marciano – Rocky did well in the windy conditions and I was both stunned and delighted when he caught a cross one handed as Brophy waited to pounce. A couple of good saves in the second half contributed to his fine performance.

McGinn – The more I see Paul the more I like him. He defends very well, is good at reading the game and is not afraid to get forward when the chance arises. There’s nothing showy about him, just good honest defending.

Jackson – Adam was a tower of strength at the back and was rightly ‘miffed’ at the referee for awarding Brophy free kicks when in fact the Killie man was backing in and then toppling over. A second goal in two games adds to his all round game today.

Hanlon – My brother was away for a break in Italy and watched the game on BT Sport. He sent me a text at full time saying he thought Paul was man of the match because he handled both Kabamba and Brophy so well. I too thought Paul played well but he’s not my man of the match so sorry Bro.

Newell – Joe had a good first half, got yet another assist but had to go off early in the second. I read an interview he’d done with Scotland on Sunday and he explained he’s happy to be seen as a utility man and will play where asked to do so. Certainly his recent form has been excellent so I hope the injury doesn’t keep him out of the team.

Boyle – Martin was kicked upside down for most of the game and got little or no protection from the referee. Still, Boyler just gets up and gets on with it which is to his credit but that shocking attempted clearance cost us a goal. It’s hard to be too tough on him though as he had the Killie defence having to work hard right to the end.

Slivka – Fresh from a fine performance against Ross County, Viki wasn’t quite so prevalent in this game but like his midfield colleagues he had to witness the ball being punted high most of the time.

Docherty – For the second game in succession he wins my man of the match award, just pipping Jackson who ran him close. His goal was an absolute stunner and his overall play very impressive. He never looks hurried, rarely wastes a pass and has impressive amounts of energy.

Allan – Another game where Scotty so nearly got his range right but to be fair to him it’s difficult making a perfect pass when playing in a gale force wind.

Doidge – Most of Christian’s good work today came inside our own eighteen yard area with his frequent headed clearances helping ease the pressure.

McNulty – Marc took a sore one to the face early doors and I’m not sure if that affected him but I thought he was largely anonymous. I suppose that may seem harsh given that he got very little service.

Stevenson – Got virtually the whole second half and as stated earlier he was often faced with both Burke and O’Donnell so that when he went to tackle one the other was unmarked and able to get a cross in. That was something that was very obvious and for my money took too long to be addressed.

Omeonga – Steph got the last fifteen minutes but was hardly involved as Killie kept going long and as a result the ball flew over Steph’s head most of the time.

Horgan – Served one purpose in helping negate the threat of O’Donnell but his forward play was sketchy at best.

Jack Ross – Other than the fact that I felt it took too long to address the problem on the left side of our defence I thought Jack got it right again today and he must surely be enthused that we are now only five points off third place.

The fans – A good turnout given the day the time and the weather.

Referee – Alan Muir was far too tolerant of Killie players crunching into Martin Boyle every five minutes. His general display was poor as was the display of the assistant on the side opposite the main stand. She was literally a foot away from the ball when it clearly went out for a Hibs throw but missed it completely.

[tonyrougier123]

Absolute hibernian warrior you are jonnyboy!
As always thanks for the write up.

[greenlex]

Don’t disagree with any of that JC. I would like to point out that playing in that wind seems to affect Doidge more than any of the others. Two weekends on the spin.

[The Harp Awakes]

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Now that my fingers have finally thawed out I can set about offering up my thoughts on today’s game. I don’t recall ever being so cold at a game with the wind blowing straight at us in the Rugby Park stand. Imagine what it must have felt like to the players of both teams as they manfully tried to play the game in quite appalling windy conditions.

Unsurprisingly, Jack Ross went with the same starting eleven that had trounced Ross County 3-0 whilst Lewis Stevenson replaced Tom James on an otherwise unchanged bench. Prior to kick off, it was known that a positive result would serve to narrow the gap on Aberdeen and Motherwell as both had been beaten earlier in the day.

To their credit, both sides went about their business in a positive way with Hibs having early half chances through Slivka and Newell whilst Killie threatened Rocky’s goal with a Brophy turn and shot and a Burke effort that flew wide. As suggested earlier the conditions were poor and a number of long passes either went astray or fell short of their target. Burke then infuriated me by running fifty yards to complain to the referee who had stopped the game after McNulty was caught flush in the face by the ball.

Martin Boyle seemed to be fair play in terms of fouling him and referee Alan Muir was more than lenient on a number of occasions whilst the whistler was more concerned with players trying to steal a yard or two at throw in’s.

As the half hour mark approached, a McNulty effort was blocked with the ball looking as though it might go out for a corner. Instead the wind kept the ball in play and that allowed Newell to retrieve it before slipping the ball to Docherty who cut inside and rifled home a stunning effort from the angle of the eighteen yard box. It was a brilliant strike and left Koprivec clawing at thin air as the ball flew past him.

Very quickly thereafter, Boyle broke free but his final ball was poor, hitting the first man as both Doidge and McNulty waited in the middle. It would be Boyle that played a pivotal role in the Killie equaliser just a couple of minutes later. A high ball in to the Hibs box was falling to Boyle to clear but his poor effort merely reached Dicker at the edge of the box and the Killie man quickly fed Hamalainen whose shot was deflected towards the unmarked Burke at the far post. The former Rangers man stooped low and headed into the unguarded net.

Hibs were stung by this reversal but soon recovered and right on the stroke of half time Boyle was once again crudely chopped down on the wide right shy line. When the resultant free kick arrived in the box McNulty seemed to get a touch before Adam Jackson knocked the ball beyond Koprivec to restore Hibernians’ lead.

In truth the second half seemed to consist mostly of Hibs clearing crosses into the box from corners, free kicks or indeed open play. There was a few occasions that Hibs broke free but the final pass always seemed to go astray and so a third goal never arrived. Stevenson, who had replaced the injured Newell right at the start of the half certainly had his work cut out as Killie repeatedly offered the ball to Burke and O’Donnell on their right hand side. Both of those Killie players are excellent crossers of the ball and I felt that Lewis could have done with a bit more support from his midfield to help neutralise that danger. It finally arrived about fifteen minutes from time when Horgan replaced Allan. In truth Horgan didn’t do much defending but his presence curtailed O’Donnell’s contribution significantly.

On the way home I was thinking long and hard about our win and I think a huge amount of credit must go to our oft maligned defence as they pretty much dealt with a barrage of high balls into the box. At times they were ably assisted by Doidge who is an excellent defender and who cleared many of the cross balls.

The players

Marciano – Rocky did well in the windy conditions and I was both stunned and delighted when he caught a cross one handed as Brophy waited to pounce. A couple of good saves in the second half contributed to his fine performance.

McGinn – The more I see Paul the more I like him. He defends very well, is good at reading the game and is not afraid to get forward when the chance arises. There’s nothing showy about him, just good honest defending.

Jackson – Adam was a tower of strength at the back and was rightly ‘miffed’ at the referee for awarding Brophy free kicks when in fact the Killie man was backing in and then toppling over. A second goal in two games adds to his all round game today.

Hanlon – My brother was away for a break in Italy and watched the game on BT Sport. He sent me a text at full time saying he thought Paul was man of the match because he handled both Kabamba and Brophy so well. I too thought Paul played well but he’s not my man of the match so sorry Bro.

Newell – Joe had a good first half, got yet another assist but had to go off early in the second. I read an interview he’d done with Scotland on Sunday and he explained he’s happy to be seen as a utility man and will play where asked to do so. Certainly his recent form has been excellent so I hope the injury doesn’t keep him out of the team.

Boyle – Martin was kicked upside down for most of the game and got little or no protection from the referee. Still, Boyler just gets up and gets on with it which is to his credit but that shocking attempted clearance cost us a goal. It’s hard to be too tough on him though as he had the Killie defence having to work hard right to the end.

Slivka – Fresh from a fine performance against Ross County, Viki wasn’t quite so prevalent in this game but like his midfield colleagues he had to witness the ball being punted high most of the time.

Docherty – For the second game in succession he wins my man of the match award, just pipping Jackson who ran him close. His goal was an absolute stunner and his overall play very impressive. He never looks hurried, rarely wastes a pass and has impressive amounts of energy.

Allan – Another game where Scotty so nearly got his range right but to be fair to him it’s difficult making a perfect pass when playing in a gale force wind.

Doidge – Most of Christian’s good work today came inside our own eighteen yard area with his frequent headed clearances helping ease the pressure.

McNulty – Marc took a sore one to the face early doors and I’m not sure if that affected him but I thought he was largely anonymous. I suppose that may seem harsh given that he got very little service.

Stevenson – Got virtually the whole second half and as stated earlier he was often faced with both Burke and O’Donnell so that when he went to tackle one the other was unmarked and able to get a cross in. That was something that was very obvious and for my money took too long to be addressed.

Omeonga – Steph got the last fifteen minutes but was hardly involved as Killie kept going long and as a result the ball flew over Steph’s head most of the time.

Horgan – Served one purpose in helping negate the threat of O’Donnell but his forward play was sketchy at best.

Jack Ross – Other than the fact that I felt it took too long to address the problem on the left side of our defence I thought Jack got it right again today and he must surely be enthused that we are now only five points off third place.

The fans – A good turnout given the day the time and the weather.

Referee – Alan Muir was far too tolerant of Killie players crunching into Martin Boyle every five minutes. His general display was poor as was the display of the assistant on the side opposite the main stand. She was literally a foot away from the ball when it clearly went out for a Hibs throw but missed it completely.

The ref was certainly very lenient to several Killie players in the first half. Findlay and Dicker should both have been carded earlier than they were. Having said that, the ref could easily given a pen against Jackson in the last few minutes so we should be thankful for that.

[SonOfDavidFrancey]

Livingston not Motherwell - otherwise an excellent report

[Jonnyboy]

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Livingston not Motherwell - otherwise an excellent report

Ooops

Sorted, ta

[Jones28]

I think we were fortunate not to concede a penalty or two, Jackson being the culprit on both occasions.

Good write up as usual JB.

[Carheenlea]

Allan’s passing range can be measured in inches rather than yards, and some were just agonisingly just short of being pinpoint, but I thought he had a very good game.

Omeonga did what few do on a plastic pitch - tackle in the same way as he would on a grass surface.

We moved up to back row of stand for second half and there was still no respite from the wind as it howled into us. Considering the unfavourable playing conditions and fiery artificial surface it was a pretty decent game from two sides playing football. Looking forward to Saturday and hopefully keep the points rolling in.

[GreenCastle]

It’s ridiculous how much Boyle is being targeted right now. Getting no protection from the refs. Guess it’s a compliment being such a threat but he’s going to get injured soon.

[ehf]

Jackson and Slivka more culpable than Boyle for the Killie goal, imo.

[Carheenlea]

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It’s ridiculous how much Boyle is being targeted right now. Getting no protection from the refs. Guess it’s a compliment being such a threat but he’s going to get injured soon.

It felt like they were taking turn about to clatter Boyle knowing they would get a shot each at him with no repercussion. They were all yellow card fouls for me, and like you I worry he is going to get hurt badly again.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Hibs 12th man -what a dude getting in the match report after what must have been an interesting journey.

[ben johnson]

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I think we were fortunate not to concede a penalty or two, Jackson being the culprit on both occasions.

Good write up as usual JB.

Would be in line with him ignoring shirt pulling on numerous occasions and the assistant referees incompetence
Rather harsh to arrow in on this on what should be rather upbeat thread
I will join you in saying that he should have sent off someone for booting Boyle

[B.H.F.C]

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Would be in line with him ignoring shirt pulling on numerous occasions and the assistant referees incompetence
Rather harsh to arrow in on this on what should be rather upbeat thread
I will join you in saying that he should have sent off someone for booting Boyle

Her on the line was absolutely horrendous.

Muir was just Muir. Was particularly amusing when he was telling Marciano to hurry up despite the ball being in the stand at the time. A joke of a ref.

It’s also becoming a regular thing now, that teams are allowed to kick Boyle 6 or 7 times before any action is taken.

[007]

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The ref was certainly very lenient to several Killie players in the first half. Findlay and Dicker should both have been carded earlier than they were. Having said that, the ref could easily given a pen against Jackson in the last few minutes so we should be thankful for that.

Agree that a penalty could have been given against Jackson however they should never have got the corner in the 1st place as it was Brophy who put it out.

[BILLYHIBS]

Brilliant Jonnyboy as usual and many thanks once again for posting

Right from the kick off you could see that HIBS were trying to play football keeping the ball on the deck and passing

As others have said you just know Boyle is going to catch one

He has the heart of a lion just picks himself up dusts himself down and goes back for more

Jack Ross should use the old Alex McLeish tactic of asking the referees prematch for protection for our players

Hanlon and Jackson starting to form a decent partnership but Jackson needs to reign it in or he is going to give away a pen still two goals in two games from Centre Half whats not to like?

Stevie G must be looking at Docherty and asking himself “What have I done?”

[Unseen work]

Great victory in a game that suited Kilmarnock more imo.

Horrible conditions, horrible pitch and against a very direct side - that’s a game i would normally see us losing or conceding the late goal.

Wasn’t pretty and we got the win, delighted with that.

Jackson and Hanlon were brilliant at the back and dominated the opposition.

McGinn I like however he seems to have 1 or 2 moments in a game I’m thinking what are you doing and looks like his mistake will cost us. I’m putting this down to nerves at the moment as he’s trying to keep the ball in very tight areas at times.

Horgan really needs to work on his crossing.

Docherty is a brilliant player. So strong and brilliant fitness levels, the amount of work he puts in off the training ground really pays off. The fact he’s very good on the ball is a huge bonus too. Would love to see a permanent deal but can’t see it happening.

Doidge done very well holding the ball up, especially latter in the game, and linking the play. One day the dummy and 1-2 him and McNulty tried about 8 times will come off 😁

[DaveF]

I thought the team did really well in what looked like farcical conditions. Mistakes were made but on that park in that wind those can be written off.

Hanlon would have been my motm, with Jackson and Docherty close behind.

I'd replace Slivka with Omeonga and beat the hell out of Livi.

[Since452]

Porteous will be struggling to get back in the team. That's the price you pay

[Forza Fred]

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Jackson and Slivka more culpable than Boyle for the Killie goal, imo.

That’s what I thought.

[DaveF]

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That’s what I thought.

Wasn't Jackson throwing himself at the ball but the deflection took him out the game? Or he slipped?

[sean04]

Boyle should’ve done better with the clearance but Killie got the break off the ball in the box, bounced perfect for Burke. We got the break with Jackson’s goal, dunno what the Killie defender was doing, I thought he had handled it

[Smartie]

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Boyle should’ve done better with the clearance but Killie got the break off the ball in the box, bounced perfect for Burke. We got the break with Jackson’s goal, dunno what the Killie defender was doing, I thought he had handled it

I wondered what their keeper was doing at our goal. He looked desperate to dive under the ball, if he’d stuck a hand out properly he would have got a lot closer to it. Obviously the deflection beats him but he needs to be ready for that happening.

[Greenbeard]

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I think we were fortunate not to concede a penalty or two, Jackson being the culprit on both occasions.

Good write up as usual JB.

Think we all would have been aggrieved had a pen been awarded against Jackson but he did have hands on, even if it was six and two threes. Suspect next week's ref will be keeping a watchful eye on him at corners. Needs to be careful.

[brog]

Thanks John, excellent & I appreciated the use of shy line! 😀. With regard to comments about a possible pen against us, can I please remind everyone that Alan Muir missed a Falkirk player strolling out the box with the ball under his arm & blootering SJM on the way! He has a long way to go to compensate!!

[PeeJay]

Interesting and informative report as ever - excellent result and 3 vital points in a tough away clash, seems to be something of a decent run developing here ...

[Billy Whizz]

Think we should all chip in, and Jonnyboy some gloves, so he can continue to write his great reports
It was a wee bit cold, certainly not Baltic😄

[Jones28]

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Think we all would have been aggrieved had a pen been awarded against Jackson but he did have hands on, even if it was six and two threes. Suspect next week's ref will be keeping a watchful eye on him at corners. Needs to be careful.

I dunno, for the second incident that came up on BT I would’ve been screaming for it if it was against us.

[Paloschi]

Great post as ever Jonnyboy. Really appreciate these summaries.

[Seveno]

Hibs should be more vocal about the treatment getting fished out to Boyle. Yesterday, it was quite ridiculous and it is amazing how much he takes without retaliating.