HIBS HAPPY TO MAKE A POINT
Lennon still ‘delighted’ with his side despite spot of trouble
DON’T be fooled by the scoreline — these teams tore into each other as the battle for second place in the Premiership intensified at Pittodrie.
The pace may have dropped after half-time but a full-blooded first half saw these teams perform with a pace and physicality that was breathtaking.
Hibs may yet come to rue Jamie Maclaren’s missed penalty kick but, despite a result that saw both sides cede points to Rangers, Neil Lennon emerged from Pittodrie a happy manager.
‘I am delighted with our performance and with the mentality of the team,’ he said. ‘We were strong and resolute when we had to be, and we should have won.
‘That’s all you can ask from the players. It’s seven points out of nine post-split. That’s a tremendous return.’
The next seven days will determine whether this was a good point or not but, with Hibs’ remaining two fixtures to come in Edinburgh, Lennon goes into Wednesday’s derby at Tynecastle confident his players can get the victory that would ensure a tantalising final-day showdown with Rangers at Easter Road next Sunday.
It is Aberdeen who occupy second spot at the moment but Derek McInnes’s team face Rangers and Celtic in their final two matches, having failed to take a point from either all season.
Against that backdrop, it is a marvel that Aberdeen remain in pole position to finish runners-up but performances like the one which defeated Hearts in their last outing bore all the hallmarks of the consistent and driven unit McInnes has put together.
With Kenny McLean suspended, the Aberdeen manager had no choice but to tinker with a winning formula and would have known that this Hibs team would not be easily tamed.
Within 30 seconds, John McGinn had launched into one of those surging forward bursts of his and drew a foul that earned Anthony O’Connor a booking from referee John Beaton, who had one of his busiest days of the campaign.
Mark Reynolds, in at left-back to counter the pace of Martin Boyle, conceded the sixth-minute penalty.
Again, the speed of Hibs’ movement caught out Aberdeen, Scott Allan’s quick thinking freeing Steven Whittaker, who rolled a precise pass into Maclaren’s stride.
The Australian was preparing to shoot and — given his recent record — you would have backed him to score, but he was bundled over before he could connect.
There is a school of thought that the player upended should never be the one to take the kick and that theory was backed up by Maclaren’s surprisingly lame shot, which Joe Lewis turned away for a corner.
‘It was a poor penalty from his point of view — normally he puts his laces through them,’ said Lennon. ‘That would have got us off to a great start. ‘I was crying out for a red card but Derek (McInnes) corrected me, there has been a rule change. It’s a strange one, but you accept it.’ Maclaren missed a subsequent header on the end of a Boyle cross but Aberdeen were not without threat going forward. Stevie May and Graeme Shinnie fired shots wide, while a Scott McKenna knock-down caused panic before being cleared by Darren McGregor. Niall McGinn brought the first half to a close with a free-kick that came crashing off the bar, but it was the ferocity of the tackling that was most noteworthy. McGinn’s clattering challenge on Gary Mackay-Steven sent the winger tumbling into the home dugout and was particularly contentious. Beaton reached for yellow, making the midfielder one of five booked before the break. ‘I thought he could have shown a bit more restraint,’ said McInnes, who was angry at the time. ‘You don’t want to see people sent off and I reminded the players before the game and at half-time about keeping their discipline.
‘It’s difficult for the referee to get everything right when the two teams are fully committed.’
It is oft stated that Mackay-Steven goes missing when the going gets tough — but it takes bravery to keep dribbling at pace when the next skeleton-shaking jolt is just around the corner.
That seemed to be the point his captain Shinnie was making as the winger gingerly made his way back onto the field.
McInnes withdrew May for Greg Stewart, but rather than inject some fizz into his attack the arrival of the Birmingham loanee just contributed to a rather flat opening to the second period, lit up only by a fine Lewis save at the end of a McGinn run and shot.
It almost seemed conspiratorial as both managers prepared subs midway through the half. Ryan Christie and Brandon Barker are among the more mercurial operators in these respective squads, but neither side’s joker could deliver the final ball needed to settle the outcome.
The appearance of a masked Dylan McGeouch (left) — he suffered a fracture below his eye in the game against Celtic two weeks ago — 13 minutes from time did set tongues wagging on the terraces, however.
Florian Kamberi came closest for Hibs, with Lewis again looking assured as he kept out the Swiss striker’s low shot.
Shay Logan tried an outrageous long-range punt after seeing Ofir Marciano off his line but missed by a few yards, while Reynolds popped up to head into the side-netting.
‘Joe Lewis was announced as man of the match, so that speaks volumes for our play,’ added Lennon. ‘We had two great chances. I know Aberdeen hit the bar but the threat they posed was mainly from set-plays.
‘We were very good defensively. McGregor, (Efe) Ambrose and (Paul) Hanlon headed everything when they had to. There’s another huge game on Wednesday, but then Rangers and Aberdeen have to play each other, so you expect something to give there.
‘It’s all to play for. It’s a great statement of intent from the players — not just for the present but for next season — that they can compete at the highest level in this country.’