Frustration grows as Hibs draw a blank

again showed steely character and made it an awkward night for Hibernians. Having a fluid look, they also had their own chances to win the game in the first half. They only were reduced to huffing and puffing in the second.

They remain basking in mid table, one point behind Hibernains, after taking 11 points from a possible 18 in their last six matches.

Hamrun had Cristian Zaccardo missing through injury as Agatino Sacali and Marco Criaco were named among the substitutes, with Julian Galea handed a start.

The Spartans were the first to threaten after ten minutes. An Espindola effort was superbly held out by the stretched keeper Hogg and Succi’s shot on the loose ball was blocked by the Hibernians’ defence.

The Paolites responded with a Moreira effort that narrowly missed the target. It was titfor-tat on 21 minutes when Lydon Micallef tried to chip the ball over the onrushing Hogg, who covered himself by tipping smartly over the bar into a corner.

Towards the end of the half, Succi arrived fractionally late on a Camilleri low inviting cross from the right and then the Italian was guilty of a bad miss, hitting Galea’s inviting cross over from close range.

It showed how the Spartans were edging the half but had to stay alert.

In the half’s added time, Moreira’s firm header on a Kreuzriegler cross, flashed wide.

The sense at halftime was that the match could go either way.

The second half was characterised by hesitancy and lack of composure from both sides and offered little in terms of goalmouth action.

With creative deficit haunting the side, Hibernians struggled to show cohesion or personality as they tried to break down Hamrun’s resistance. They only looked menacing with the delivery of several crosses by Dias from the right but headers from Vella and Lima failed to find the target.

Hamrun were also lacking the energy and enterprise shown in the opening 45 minutes, only threatening with a Galea rasping shot that went wide and a Caruana central shot that was well saved by keeper Hogg.

In the late stages, Dias was stretchered off and on the stroke of full time, Hamrun even ended up with ten men after their central defender Souza was sent off for two bookable offences.