Result all that mattered in end for Ross
● Doidge and Mallan strike to clinch it for Hibs but hosts superior for long spells
Hibernian showed the character manager Jack Ross was looking for as they dug deep to secure a 2-1 win at St Mirren but his opposite number rued bad luck and poor finishing.
Hibs took the lead in the 27th minute through Christian Doidge but were penned in for long spells of the second half as St Mirren sought an equaliser.
Ross said: “It was all about winning the game.
“We had to dig it out. It’s still early but it’s given us a platform to push on.”
“Sometimes you’ve just got to find a way to win the game – and we’ve done that tonight,” added the former St Mirren boss on his return to Paisley.
Stevie Mallan got Hibs’ second from the penalty spot after a breakaway, meaning Junior Morias’ last gasp goal was mere consolation
St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin said: “We’re extremely disappointed but I couldn’t be more proud of the players in terms of their effort and commitment in the second half.
“It wasn’t just their effort but some of the football that they played. It’s a long, long time since one of my sides dominated a half of football like that against a very good team. But unfortunately we’ve nothing to show for it.”
New Hibernian boss Jack Ross had been eyeing the congested fixture list as a way to assess the merits of the squad he inherited but, on the back of two wins on the bounce, he was content that there was no real reason for him to tinker with the starting line-up in this one.
That may not be the case going forward after his men were tested in Paisley.
The win over Motherwell at the weekend had catapulted them into the top six and, aiming to put even more distance between themselves and their disappointing start to the league season, the Leith club looked to build on the growing momentum,
But, up against the man who did so much to lift them from the Championship doldrums during his time there, St Mirren were looking to get the win that would allow them to escape the cluster of clubs bogged down at the foot of the table.
On the night that captain Stephen Mcginn was making his 200th appearance for the club, they were up for the fight.
They had shown their resilience against Ross County at the weekend, coming from behind to collect all three points. They showed similar character last night, pinning Hibs in for long periods of the second half, but this time they lacked the composure needed in front of goal to turn that into something tangible and Hibs were able to hang on.
It was a dogged rather than dynamic display from the capital side, who established their lead against the run of play in the 27th minute and pretty much hung on thereafter.
The guests had looked comfortable in the early exchanges, but, as the first half reached the halfway mark, it was the hosts in the ascendancy.
With Hibs assistant manager Jon Potter bellowing at the players to stop the cross getting in from the right, St Mirren’s Calum Waters defied Hibs’ best efforts and swiped a ball into a dangerous area. Kyle Magennis really should have done better but could not find the target let alone test Chris Maxwell with his header.
Soon after that, Ryan Flynn’s effort was blocked and then Sean Mcloughlin sent his downward header bouncing past the post from Flynn’s corner. But Hibs enjoyed the better luck when they broke upfield in the 27th minute as Jason Naismith’s lovely outswinging delivery picked out Christian Doidge and the Welshman’s header cannoned off his marker and looped up and over Vaclav Hladky before dropping into the net behind the goalkeeper.
The goal did little to alter the momentum of the match, as St Mirren looked undeterred and continued to push forward. They had an opening when
Ryan Porteous misjudged a ball forward and ended up on the turf as Jon Obika carried on into the box but he was profligate and allowed Paul Hanlon to sweep in and rescue the situation.
Obika should have done better when his team-mates patiently carved out another chance soon after but his effort was weak and, against a diligent Hibs rearguard, they just could not find a way to breakthrough. In the second half, Ross, pictured, recognising the difficulty his men were having to get on the front foot, sent Martin Boyle and Daryl Horgan on, but it was still an evening of backs-to-the-wall action as they struggled to get up field.
But, for all their possession and territorial gains in the second half, Jim Goodwin’s men were hit with a 81st-minute sucker punch as Boyle’s pace and direct running forced Mcloughlin into a lunge at the byline and referee Alan Newlands, who had been harangued by the home crowd for most of the match, pointed to the spot.
Former St Mirren player Stevie Mallan buried the spotkick to give the guests some breathing space. They would need it. Saints reshuffled, sending on Junior Morias for Obika with 13 minutes remaining, and he finally found the net, but it was too late. Given St Mirren’s superiority, it’s unlikely it could even be described as a consolation. ST MIRREN: Hladky, Paul Mcginn, Mackenzie, Mcloughlin, Waters, Magennis, Foley, Stephen Mcginn, Flynn (Mcallister 78), Durmus (Mullen 66), Obika (Morias 78). Subs not used: Cooke, Djorkaeff, Macpherson, Lyness
HIBERNIAN: Maxwell, Naismith, Porteous, Hanlon, Stevenson, Hallberg, Slivka, Newell (Horgan 57), Allan (Mallan 72), Doidge, Kamberi (Boyle 52). Subs not used: Marciano, James, Jackson, Shaw