DONS STAR HAS STAYING POWER
Mackay-Steven takes yet another bite out of Hibs after New York City bid to bring him to the Big Apple
THE lure of The Big Apple may yet prove irresistible but for now it’s Aberdeen who continue to reap the fruit of Gary Mackay-Steven’s beguiling wing play.
The subject of a January bid from MLS franchise New York City, Mackay-Steven thought long and hard about moving Stateside but has instead decided to see out his contract at Pittodrie and reassess his position in the summer.
The news that he was staying put was yet another piece of bad news in a stormy week for Hibernian.
The sudden departure of manager Neil Lennon left the Easter Road side managerless and, in Mackay-Steven, they faced an opponent with a knack of putting them to the sword.
The 28-year-old was the difference when the teams last met in the north east, his winning goal in November adding to the four he notched in this fixture last term.
This time he was both creator and finisher, helping set up the Dons’ equaliser and then slotting away the decisive finish.
A help to his right-wing colleague Shay Logan going back the way and a quicksilver box of tricks when running at the Hibs rearguard, he even had the luxury of missing a second-half penalty that would have put the match beyond the Edinburgh club’s reach.
If the Hibs hierarchy came some way short of covering itself in glory with its handling of the Lennon fiasco last weekend, the caretaker management team did everything asked of it.
The Hibs programme staff may have erroneously printed the result as a 1-0 defeat but the three-goal comeback that sealed victory at St Mirren last weekend eased a certain amount of tension in the camp.
Faced with an altogether tougher opponent yesterday, Eddie May and Grant Murray went big and strong with their team selection, placing Mark Milligan between Darren McGregor and Paul Hanlon in a back three and deploying Marvin Bartley and Vykintas Slivka as midfield anchors.
New signings Marc McNulty, Gael Bigirimana and Darnell Johnson started on the bench and, surprisingly, were joined by Sporting Lisbon loanee Ryan Gauld.
Aberdeen supporters may have felt slightly underwhelmed as deadline day passed peacefully but, with Max Lowe back from Derby on loan and Greg Stewart also brought in from Birmingham, it was a decent window for Derek McInnes.
Perhaps even more significant was Mackay-Steven’s decision not to jump at a £250,000 move across the Atlantic.
McInnes had placed Brandon Barker on ice as a contingency, the Manchester City winger having spent the whole of last term on loan at Hibs as Lennon’s team cranked up the entertainment value.
To be fair to the squad he has left behind, they did their best to live up to that legacy.
On a gloriously bright and still day that offered spectacular views over to Fife from Easter Road’s Main Stand, this match started like a storm whipping in off the Forth.
Joe Lewis had already beaten away a Stevie Mallan drive when he found himself lunging despairingly at an Oli Shaw hit from 25 yards.
There is no disputing the accuracy of a shot that crept in just inside the post but it was hardly a net buster and the big No 1 might normally have expected to keep it out.
Fortunately for Lewis, Aberdeen promptly bludgeoned their way to an equaliser. Sam Cosgrove’s venomous first-time effort ricocheted well clear but Mackay-Steven was waiting to return a brilliant cross to the back post from wide right.
Cosgrove’s header was cleared off the line by David Gray but Considine was there to hook it back into the net.
Hibs’ determination to keep the ball evaporated in the moments that saw Aberdeen edge ahead.
When Ofir Marciano pushed away Stewart’s shot, two players followed in — and both happened to be wearing red. Stevie May’s attempt was saved but Mackay-Steven squeezed in the second rebound.
By that point, Aberdeen had been depleted due to the lower back injury that saw Cosgrove go off to be replaced by James Wilson.
Much has been made of Florian Kamberi’s involvement in the Lennon row and, although the Swiss may have taken exception to his boss’s criticism, he was not the only player to draw fire in the fateful team meeting at the East Mains training ground.
Mallan was also in the crosshairs for the drop-off in performance that had seen his regular supply of long-range goals dry up as the season developed.
He had responded with a goal at St Mirren last weekend and went very close to another here when he sent a free-kick whistling just past the post as half-time approached.
Lewis clearly thought it was goalbound and clattered into the post as he leapt to his left, cutting his forehead in the process.
Unable to continue, his injury handed an unexpected debut to Tomas Cerny. This was his first competitive game since his involvement in Partick Thistle’s play-off defeat to Livingston last summer, yet Hibs could not produce enough to properly test his reflexes.
The Dons got to half-time unscathed and carved out a perfect opportunity to extend their lead when Lewis Ferguson wove his way towards goal, slaloming between two challenges before being bundled over by McGregor.
Mackay-Steven stepped up and was perhaps too confident with his rolled attempt, which allowed Marciano ample time to get down and claw the shot away one-handed.
Encouraged, Hibs grew as an attacking force, Shaw being denied an equaliser after drifting offside and then Kamberi directing a Slivka cross wide.
There were debuts for Bigirimana and McNulty as the half wore on, McNulty coming close to a quick goal as his shot from Lewis Stevenson’s pass was deflected over.
Yet Cerny was barely worked. Kamberi had the best chance of all to equalise when Mallan picked him out with a free-kick but he headed so far over he threatened the top tier of the Famous Five Stand.
Marciano kept Hibs in it when Wilson raced on to a Mackay-Steven pass, burned beyond Milligan and struck a low shot which the keeper turned away with his right boot.
An even better chance fell to the on-loan Manchester United striker when Stewart played him in but he dragged his shot wide.