When Adam met Andy
Hibs’ Adam Jackson tumbles over Andy Ryan of Dunfermline during yesterday’s friendly
dunfermline 1 Murray (4) hibs 3 Jackson (48), Horgan (pen, 72), Kamberi (77)
Hibs have undergone an off-field revolution.
But manager Paul Heckingbottom insists changes on the pitch will be driven instead by evolution.
The Easter Road club passed into the ownership of US media millionaire Ron Gordon this week, after 28 years under Sir Tom Farmer’s stewardship.
A seven-figure cash injection from Gordon has allowed the Hibees to clear their debts – and begin looking for areas of the club that require investment.
But after yesterday’s friendly victory over Dunfermline, Hibs’ gaffer revealed his plans remain focused on the long-term.
“Nothing will change for the players,” he said.
“But there’s certainly excitement – and I think the timing of it is excellent.
“Chris Maxwell has come in on loan, but apart from that we’ve got a squad full of our own players on long-term contracts.
“It feels like the start of something new where we can start to set bigger goals over the long term for players.
“That’s different from when I first came in, in February, when we had six loan players and lots of contracts up.
“A situation like that means you can’t really push beyond the next game, whereas now, it’s a new start, and we want, window-by-window, seasonby-season, to improve.”
Heckingbottom’s side fell behind early against the Pars and struggled to get going.
But after the interval, their Premiership class came into play.
For Heckingbottom, it was a showing that only partially met his exacting standards.
“I’m pleased with some bits, not with others,” he said.
“It was 90 minutes for a few lads, or there or thereabouts, which is important.
“But I hate pre-season games. They look like that one did, generally, which is nothing like how a league game is going to be.
“We got 90 minutes out of it, a bit of fitness, but we don’t want to play that way.
“It’s important that if it’s us that have to inject the tempo – even if it’s giving the ball away and sprinting to win it back – we want that kind of energy in the performance.
“In that aspect, it was chalk and cheese first half and second half.”
Euan Murray headed the
Pars into a fourth minute lead at East End Park, rising highest in the box to nod home an Andy Ryan corner.
Stevie Crawford’s side continued to threaten in the aftermath, and Kevin Nisbet missed two opportunities to stretch their lead, first seeing an effort blocked for a corner, then heading unchallenged straight into Maxwell’s arms from 10 yards.
It was encouraging stuff, but just after the break, Hibs levelled when Adam Jackson sent a looping overhead kick past Ryan Scully from Stevie Mallan’s corner.
A raft of substitutions on the hour swung the game in Hibs’ favour, and Daryl Horgan put them ahead from the penalty spot after being bundled over in the box by Lee Ashcroft.
Five minutes later, Florian Kemberi capped the Hibees’ comeback by heading Horgan’s inch-perfect cross into Scully’s far corner.
Pars boss Crawford was understandably disappointed with the result, but he was able to find solace in how his team held the upper hand in the first half.
“It was always going to be a test for us today, but it was pleasing how we created chances,” he said.
“I know it’s early days but a lot of stuff that we’ve worked on was there, in terms of trying to build from the back and press higher up.”