Doidgeball! Christian ends drought in style for managerless Hibs
They were on the road to nowhere with Paul Heckingbottom at the wheel.
But managerless Hibs got back on track as a Christian Doidge hat-trick helped stun St Johnstone.
Doidge’s treble – the first of his professional career – and a slick Scott Allan strike had Hibees fans in dreamland before Stevie May notched a last-gasp consolation for the hosts.
And the Welshman – who arrived at McDiarmid Park without a league goal to his name – admitted to feeling guilty over his inability to stop the axe swinging on Heckingbottom.
“To be honest, I feel terrible about that,” said Doidge.
“I got into positions to score under the old gaffer and didn’t put them away.
“Today he’s probably got some choice words for me, but that’s football. You’ve got to move on and see who the next manager is going to be.
“It felt good obviously to get on the scoresheet. It’s been a long time coming. It’s been difficult. My performances have been good but obviously in front of goal I haven’t been great.
“The Aberdeen game where I missed a few one-on-ones was tough for my confidence, but I just worked hard on the training pitch and just kept believing.”
A defeat at St Johnstone ultimately cost Craig Levein his job as Hearts boss.
In Paul Heckingbottom’s case, the mere prospect of such a result was enough for the Hibs board to empty him out.
With Eddie May in caretaker charge, the Hibees were much changed on the park as well as off – and it showed from the off.
Never mind the proverbial “new manager bounce”, simply getting rid of the old one appeared to have done wonders for the Easter Road squad.
They were ahead after just 86 seconds at McDiarmid – and it was thanks to that man who had begun to look like the unlikeliest of contributors under Heckingbottom.
Doidge was a big-money summer capture for the Hibees but, until yesterday, had done little to repay them for their outlay.
He needed two attempts to claim his first of the afternoon – and his first Premiership goal of the season – in Perth after Zander Clark spilled his initial close-range effort straight back to him.
But in the aftermath, he – and Hibs – never looked back. Doidge bagged his second when Florian Kamberi – who also set up his first – fired in a perfect, driven cross, which he sent past Clark with a smart, back-heeled flick.
Saints hinted at getting their campaign properly up and running with back-to-back wins over Hamilton Accies and Hearts, but against Hibs they were miles off the pace.
Tommy Wright, linked last week with the Northern Ireland manager’s job, must have ripped into his players at half-time.
But instead of emerging full of fire, they were just as sluggish as before.
They paid the price less than three minutes into the second 45 when Matty Kennedy gifted possession to Allan, then failed completely to track back, leaving the Hibs man to smash a terrific finish past Clark from just inside the box.
For the first time this season, Hibs were comfortable.
Yet they resisted the urge to shut up shop, and Doidge claimed his third goal just before the hour when he rose highest in the box to nod Jason Naismith’s cross home.
Saints claimed a consolation strike in the last minute when Stevie May dinked Tony Ralston’s cross in off the post.
But it was all about Hibs, with a performance that suggested they have plenty to offer between now and the end of the season.