DOUBLE DELIGHT
Doyle-Hayes wonder strikes seal a scrappy victory over Staggies
SHAUN MALONEY insisted again that his Hibs side need to find a new killer instinct sharpish after securing a stodgy win through two sparkling strikes. Perhaps he should just let Jake Doyle-Hayes take training and lead the way from now on.
Until yesterday, the Irish midfielder hadn’t scored a goal all season since joining from St Mirren. As a matter of interest, he only scored once in Paisley last term and had managed just one before that in two campaigns of senior football.
Yet, here we are now. He’s suddenly become Leith’s answer to Andrea Pirlo. And, by Jove, wasn’t his previously-hidden accuracy from distance needed in this clash, which saw the home side booed off at the interval with the scoreline goalless and the goalies unworked.
The first of two splendid goals from Doyle-Hayes angered Ross County immensely as they felt a foul had been committed in the build-up. His second was just a thing of beauty — a wild clearance controlled on the chest and then dispatched with a smooth, seamless swing of the boot.
Maloney admitted afterwards that he has been working on cajoling all sorts of finishing from his players, who hadn’t hit the net in three league outings before this, but insisted all the credit must go to Doyle-Hayes for sending the Hibees into fourth with their first Premiership victory in seven.
‘I would love to take any form of credit for that,’ said the manager. ‘We’ve done a lot of work in the last few weeks on different types of finishing. At times, we have created and not been clinical.
‘You have to give every credit to Jake, though. Just two amazing goals. His second was brilliant.
‘We had some chances and, if we had been more clinical, I’d be even happier, but Jake was really, really good. Take away his goals and his performance was very good, too.
‘Parts of the first half were positive but it was in that last third. We can have a large part of possession but we have to then create chances. That was the message.
‘In that final third, we needed to have that little bit more intent and the players showed that. There is still lots of work to do. I think we can be a lot better in possession. We can create more.’
Above all, Doyle-Hayes provided something from the game to talk about. To take away. To satisfy. At half-time, those who nip outside onto the street for a smoke and a natter would have been forgiven for taking themselves off to somewhere warmer and more inviting.
Put frankly, the first half was a non-event. The only thing to raise the blood pressure was the booking of visiting striker Jordan White on seven minutes for simulation.
He moved into the left-hand side of the area, saw goalkeeper Matt Macey advancing and went down like a ton of bricks.
Mercifully, referee Steven McLean was wise to what was going on and flashed a yellow card.
And that was that. There were a couple of bread-and-butter saves from the goalies — White trying to lob Macey and making a mess of it — but there was no real quality. Not even an argument. Nothing.
Kevin Nisbet summed the half up in its dying stages, moving onto a clever flick-on from Sylvester Jasper in space on the right of the box, lining up a volley — and then missing the ball completely.
Ewan Henderson, at least, sparked a bit of life into proceedings four minutes after the break, surging in off the right and letting fly with a crisp drive that stung the hands of visiting goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw.
A minute or so later, Hibs were in front. A corner from the right made its way out to Josh Campbell, he laid it back to Doyle-Hayes around 20 yards out and his powerful shot flew past Laidlaw and into the net.
County were furious, though, insisting Rocky Bushiri had impeded Harry Paton as he attempted to get his body in the way of the shot.
Henderson had a great chance to make it 2-0 midway through the second 45 when being sent clear by Jasper, who does look a promising player, but his low shot clipped off the right ankle of Laidlaw, went through the keeper’s legs and skidded wide for a corner.
By then, however, it was clear the game was there for the taking for Hibs and Doyle-Hayes just nailed the lid on County’s casket with the most wonderful second.
Staggies captain Jack Baldwin had picked up a deserved yellow card for a late tackle on Josh Doig, giving away a free-kick on the Main Stand touchline. Substitute Chris Mueller fired in the dead-ball, Ross Callachan hooked it clear and Doyle-Hayes, a good 22 yards out, controlled it perfectly on the chest before sending an exocet missile of a volley high to Laidlaw’s right and into the net.
A grim day for County was made complete eight minutes from time. Substitute Joseph Hungbo sprung the Hibs defence with a lovely pass up the left to Regan Charles-Cook and he dilly-dallied, allowing Porteous to avert the danger.
Despite St Johnstone’s win at Hearts, there are still four points between County and the relegation play-off place. They can do much better than this — and they will have to. Particularly next weekend when the Perth side pay a visit.