Saints’ late strike seals another off day for Hibs
DIFFERENT manager, same old outcome for Hibernian. With Scottish Cup-winning captain David Gray in temporary charge following Jack Ross’s sacking after the midweek defeat to Livingston, the Easter Road side came within three minutes of claiming what would have been just a second league win in 10 attempts.
Old habits die hard, however, and just as the travelling Hibs support was getting ready to head home happy for once, disaster struck again.
St Mirren had barely threatened but found salvation from an unlikely source. Scott Tanser’s ball in from the left was begging to be attacked and defender Joe Shaughnessy smashed in a half-volley that flew past Matt Macey to earn his team a point.
Jim Goodwin’s men have still not won in nine games but were undoubtedly the happier with the outcome. If Hibs could have no complaints about the loss to Livingston, then this was a much more bitter pill to swallow.
‘The feeling of disappointment is probably the right word,’ said Gray. ‘But it’s a different disappointment from Wednesday night.
‘We got what we deserved then, which was nothing. To lose the goal very late on today is disappointing but the manner was different. The positives to take are that we lost the other night but picked up a point today.
‘I thought the players managed it well, in difficult circumstances. We created enough chances in the first half and their keeper was the busier but we just couldn’t get over the line.’
Hibs now head into a potentially seismic week, entertaining Dundee on Tuesday night before the Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic next Sunday. Gray doesn’t know yet if he will be in charge for either of those matches, told only to take the team with Eddie May and Craig Samson for the ‘foreseeable future’.
‘It’s been a whirlwind, so I’ve not thought about myself or what I want
to do moving forward,’ he added. ‘It’s about Dundee and starting to think about that. I’ve no idea if I’ll still be in charge for Hampden. The foreseeable future to me means until someone tells me to do something different.
‘Me, Eddie and Sammy will prepare the team to the best of our ability. We’ve got Dundee before the cup final, that’s the most important thing now.’
Gray wasn’t helped by having Paul McGinn and Paul Hanlon suspended — both sent off in the Livingston defeat — with Darren McGregor and Lewis Stevenson drafted in as part of a new-look back four.
St Mirren were without main striker
Eamonn Brophy, set to be absent until the new year through injury, with Curtis Main leading the line and Jamie McGrath and Greg Kiltie providing the primary support.
The home side have had cause this season to thank goalkeeper Jak Alnwick and it was the same again early on here as he dived to push away Jamie Murphy’s effort. A second save from a Kevin Nisbet header was easier, the striker planting it straight at him.
St Mirren saw more of the ball but did little with it in an attacking sense, with Hibs No1 Macey having a quiet day. When referee Kevin Clancy blew the half-time whistle, it was greeted more by relief than derision from both sets of supporters.
The game needed a goal and it arrived just seven minutes after the break. Macey’s throw to Murphy sent him running deep into the St Mirren half. The wide man fed Martin Boyle whose ball across the goal wasn’t cleared by Charles Dunne and fell for Josh Campbell who smashed it home.
Goodwin then rolled the dice, making all three substitutions in the space of five minutes but when they did get a chance 12 minutes from time, a free kick on the edge of the Hibs box, McGrath put it high into the stand.
Saints then got an effort on target from a Main header that was saved before Shaughnessy struck to earn them a point.
‘Draws are killing us this season but today was a decent one,’ said Goodwin. ‘The draw with Ross County when we had 27 goal attempts felt like a defeat.
‘This game, because of the manner we came back, it’s another point on the board — and we have to take the positives from it.’
ST MIRREN (3-4-2-1): Alnwick; Shaughnessy, Dunne, Fraser; Millar (McAllister 65), Flynn (Dennis 60), Power, Tanser; Kiltie (Ronan 60), McGrath; Main. Subs (not used): Lyness, Erwin, Tait, Erhahon
Booked: Power, Flynn, Tanser, Alnwick.
HIBERNIAN (4-2-3-1): Macey; Cadden, Porteous, McGregor, Stevenson; Gogic, Newell; Boyle, Campbell, Murphy (Wright 72); Nisbet (Doidge 83).
Subs (not used): Dabrowski, Doig, Gullan, Allan, Scott. Booked: Porteous, Cadden, Campbell, McGregor.
Referee: Kevin Clancy.
Man of the match: Darren McGregor (Hibs).
Attendance: 4,698.