Hibs come to the Boyle
● Lennon’s buoyant team maintain momentum
Martin Boyle is congratulated by team-mate Stevie Mallan after scoring Hibs’ third goal as they opened their Scottish Premiership campaign with a comprehensive 3-0 win at home to Motherwell yesterday. Mallan scored the opener, while Oli Shaw was also on target. The victory continued an impressive start to the campaign by Neil Lennon’s team who have progressed to the third qualifying round of the Europa League, in which they will host Norwegian side Molde in the first leg on Thursday.
After the exertions of their trip to Greece and all the travel problems they encountered, Hibs returned home to a bouncing Easter Road yesterday and produced an emphatic performance to sweep aside toothless Motherwell.
Another Stevie Mallan free-kick and a delicate finish from Oli Shaw had the Edinburgh club two up at half-time before Martin Boyle wrapped up a comfortable victory with another well-taken goal after the break.
Neil Lennon had admitted he’d need to make astute use of his squad in a bid to cope with the demands of the earlyseason battle on two fronts with a Europa League adventure which has now reached the third qualifying round, placing something of a strain on what is currently a squad slightly
on the light side. The absences yesterday of Darren Mcgregor, through injury, Steven Whittaker, through suspension, and Florian Kamberi, who was named as a sub after playing against Asteras Tripolis with his knee heavily bandaged on Thursday, highlighted the lack of depth to the squad. It did, though, give youngsters Ryan Porteous and Shaw another opportunity to add to their growing knowhow at first-team level.
Shaw displayed his predatory skills early on when he was in the right place to meet David Gray’s low cross, only to be thwarted by a last-ditch Peter Hartley challenge.
The Motherwell defender, however, found himself culpable as he used his arm to halt a long-range shot from Mallan a yard outside his own penalty area, referee Bobby Madden immediately awarding a free-kick. Dead-ball expert Mallan stepped up to fire a low shot beyond goalkeeper Trevor Carson and into the far corner of his net.
There was no doubt Hibs had been the better side by far throughout the first half and that superiority was reflected in a second goal. John Mcginn – in what may be his last Hibs appearance given the increasing interest from south of the border and the fact the English transfer deadline is now only days away – looked up, spotted the run of Shaw and delivered an inch-perfect pass for the striker to apply an accomplished finish at the back post. Hibs’ Europa League exploits have given the players a lift and this was typified by the effervescent Boyle whose pace caused mother well plenty problems. His efforts were well worth a goal and it came as an intricate exchange of passes released him to run at the opposition’s back three. After resisting the temptation to immediately fire off a shot, he instead worked himself a better opening and duly drilled the ball low past Carson.
Game won, there was no need to risk Kamberi ahead of Thursday’s clash with Molde of Norway, but as if to underline the attacking options at his disposal, Lennon threw on Jamie Maclaren – who re-signed for the club on a season-long loan from German side Darmstadt on Friday – and Boyle moved wide right as Mallan and Gray made way for the Australian striker and Vykintas Slivka.
Other than a driven cross from Chris Cadden which was turned away by the strong right hand of goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, Hibs hadn’t been threatened until a rare mistake at the back let Danny Johnson in.
His shot beat Bogdan, only to come crashing off the inside of the post and into his path but Paul Hanlon came up with a terrific block before the goalkeeper twice stood big to deny Johnson and so claim Hibs’ first clean sheet of the season. Lennon, who had been forced to watch from the stand as a result of his latest SFA
“They exceeded my expectations. There was a calmness about us, a bit of fatigue set in but the job had been done. To have a clean sheet and the goals shared around makes it a good team performance”
ban, admitted fatigue had kicked in by that point but insisted: “They exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed it.
“There was a calmness about us, a bit of fatigue set in but the job had been done. To have a clean sheet and the goals shared around makes it a good team performance.
“I think the players got a lot of confidence from going through in the Europa League, it was fraught and difficult but we are going to have to do the same on Thursday against Molde and then again the following Thursday.”
The only crumb of comfort for Motherwell in a poor display was the performance of Johnson, who came off the bench to replace Curtis Main after 63 minutes. The English forward, who joined the Fir Park club this summer from Gateshead, brought a liveliness which had been missing from his side all afternoon. HIBERNIAN: Bogdan, Porteous, Ambrose, Hanlon, Gray (Slivka 64), Mallan (Maclaren 64), Bartley, Mcginn (Swanson 80), Stevenson, Boyle, Shaw. Subs not used: Laid law,kamberi, martin, mackie .. MOTHERWELL: Carson, Mchugh, Hartley, Donnelly, Tait, Cadden, Grimshaw (Bigirimana 46), Rose, Taylor-sinclair (Frear 46), Main (Johnson 63),Sammon. Subs not used: Gillespie, Rodriguez, Turnbull, Scott.