DRAW EMOTION
Clarke: We should have won by a mile
Killie started the day chasing a 44-year-old record, then looked for all the world like they’d blown it after just nine minutes.
But Steve Clarke’s side are a different breed. And it says it all about them that the over-riding emotion in the wake of winning a heroic come- from- behind point is disappointment that it wasn’t all three.
Kilmarnock were gunning for their eighth straight home win for the first time since 1974 – but on-fire Hibs stunned the top flight’s form side with a two-goal salvo from Florian Kamberi and Ryan Porteous.
The Rugby Park men came roaring back with a four-minute, two-goal burst of their own after the break. Jordan Jones and Kris Boyd grabbed a deserved point – despite the leveller being mired in controversy.
Only some heroics from Hibs keeper Ofir Marciano denied the home side a win they’d probably earned by the time they received a rapturous full-time ovation.
Clarke said: “I was disappointed to drop two points. We should have won because we were the better team by a mile.
“I told the players at half-time the best team was losing and they should do something about it.
“If you take out the two goals we were always the better team in the first-half.
“More aggression, first to the ball, better passing , better chances. That’s why I’m so frustrated. Okay, you take a point from two down but it should have been three.”
A proud home run painstakingly built by the Rugby Park side over three months seemed to crumble after just 28 seconds.
The first goal was bad enough, Lewis Stevenson given freedom to drive a cross cum shot hard into the box. The ball deflected off Gary Dicker allowing Swiss striker Kamberi to turn a deft finish into the roof of the net.
But what followed came so cheap, Clarke’s blood would have been boiling.
The corner they conceded was ugly enough but from Scott Allan’s dead-ball, every blue-and-white shirt in the box stood like statues as Porteous nodded home completely unattended.
The teenage stopper’s feet didn’t even need to leave the ground.
It was his first Premiership goal in only his second league start for Hibs and he’ll never get a bigger freebie as long as he plays.
Neil Lennon’s side hadn’t lost at Rugby Park in seven previous visits stretching back to 2011 – so a two-goal giveaway was a hell of a handicap to surrender.
But Killie got a grip and settled into some semblance of the pattern that has earned them so many plaudits.
Boyd came close with a header, Jones saw an effort def lected wide and just before half-time the winger had his head in his hands after pinging a 22-yarder off a post.
But Hibs – missing Paul Hanlon after the birth of a baby son overnight – held f i rm wi th 18-year-old Porteous in his place. And they could have stretched their l e a d but Kamberi ’s finish from a sweet Allan feed was too easily blocked by Jamie MacDonald. They were made to rue it, big time. Killie came back out with flames at their back, dominating possession, winning every second ball. Jones lit the fuse on Killie’s comeback. Their first goal was a piece of individual brilliance as he slashed in from out wide and curled a stunner into the top corner over Marciano.
And he was at the heart of the second as well, earning a free-kick on the break from Efe Ambrose that saw the Nigerian booked and maybe lucky not to be sent off.
Boyd’s free-kick cannoned off the wall, Alan Power’s rebound went into the mixer and Kevin Clancy was quick to penalise Porteous for a really debatable handball.
Boyd needed a rebound to get the spot-kick home, Marciano saving his initial effort, but it all kicked off in the away dugout, Lennon unable to contain his objections to the penalty award.
That earned a red from Clancy but he’s sure to cop a longer stay in the stand for his cheeky applause in the ref ’s face and having to be held back from further protest.
In the end, his side was lucky to escape with a point.
Marciano pulled off two stunning saves from Youssouf Mulumbu shots within a minute, followed by another from sub Eamonn Brophy, while both Jones and Stephen O’Donnell fired inches wide.
Jones said: “It was a sloppy f irst 15 minutes but the lads have got unbelievable character and we showed it again.”
Jones also hit back at Lennon’s criticism of the Killie pitch and sniped: “I didn’t hear
him complain when they won 3-0 here.”