Rudderless Hibs show Ron he can’t get it wrong again
RON GORDON was back in the main stand at Easter Road for this one, king of the hill, master of all he surveys. In this particular case, the slagheap of a season he has played such an integral role in creating.
It wasn’t going all that badly at one point. Hibs were in the Premier Sports Cup final, after all. Sure, results hadn’t been brilliant before Jack Ross was so unceremoniously bulleted from the manager’s role just before that Hampden loss to Celtic, but they’ve been a damn sight worse since the long-gone Shaun Maloney pitched up and, almost immediately, looked out of his depth.
America-based chairman Gordon needs to make sure he pays closer attention to the interview process and gets this upcoming call over the next man in charge right.
Hibs, at this point in the season, should not be involved in dead rubbers in the bottom reaches of the league that look and feel like exactly that from the first whistle.
There is understood to be a board meeting tomorrow with a view to drawing up a list of candidates, with Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes jumping above the likes of Michael Appleton, Tony Mowbray and Malky Mackay in the betting.
Whoever gets it, they’ll have a job on their hands. Hibs were better after the break in front of a sparsely-populated stadium, but they weren’t good. Paul McGinn got them a point against an Aberdeen side that went in front through David Bates and unravelled as they so often have this season, but who cares? It doesn’t mean anything. And for both of these clubs in a season where top five meant European football, it is an absolute disgrace and a damning indictment of the way they have been run of late.
Captain Paul Hanlon, who played through the inconvenience of a knee operation to make his 500th appearance, isn’t worried by timescales. He just wants to see an appropriate candidate come in.
Hanlon said: ‘There’s only a week to go, so the most important thing is they take the time to get the right person in. If that means it’s a week into the close season then so be it. I’m sure they are working hard on it and we’ll be ready to impress the new manager in pre-season.
‘It was a dream for me to play once for this club, so to do it 500 times is great. You don’t want to look back on these games if it’s a defeat and a draw was the least we deserved from the game.
‘We were maybe lacking a bit of composure. A lack of ruthlessness in front of goal cost us again and it has been an issue this season.’
Irrelevant as it all is, duty dictates that the key elements of the 90 minutes must be recorded. Aberdeen carved out the first big chance midway through the opening period when Connor Barron fed Jonny Hayes down the left. His cross made it to Lewis Ferguson, who was convinced Hanlon had handled in the area when blocking his shot.
Elias Melkersen then came close at the other end with an angled effort tipped wide in fine style by visiting keeper Joe Lewis.
The deadlock was broken, though, in 55 minutes at a time when Aberdeen were actually beginning to flounder a little. A deep ball from the left from Hayes was headed back into the area from the back post by Declan Gallagher.
Bates took a touch to control the ball and then fired it low past Matt Macey at the near post.
It looked like Lewis had earned the Dons the win with 15 minutes to play with an excellent save from point-blank range from Joe Newell, then Bates should have wrapped it up when heading a Hayes cross over the bar from an unmarked position.
However, there was one final twist. Hibs substitute Sylvester Jasper put a cross over from the left with seven minutes to play, James Scott knocked it back into the danger area where McGinn was on hand to convert.
‘I picked a starting XI who are all under contract for next season,’ said Dons boss Jim Goodwin. ‘I said to them before the game they were playing for their jerseys next year.
‘We were in control of the majority of the first 45 minutes. Second half, I didn’t think we reached those levels.
‘Of the nine subs, six have already been told they’re surplus to requirements.
‘If we need to move others on then that’s what we’ll do.’
HIBERNIAN (3-4-1-2): Macey; McGinn, Hanlon (Bushiri 89), Porteous; Clarke, Doyle-Hayes, Newell, Doig; Campbell (Jasper 65); Melkersen (Scott 71), Henderson. Subs (not used): Dabrowski, Stevenson, McGregor, Hauge, Blaney, Aiken. Booked: None.
ABERDEEN (4-2-3-1): Lewis; McCrorie, Gallagher, Bates, McKenzie (Montgomery 85); Barron (McGeouch 85), Ferguson; Besuijen, Polvara (Ojo 64), Hayes; Watkins (Ramirez 64). Subs (not used): Woods, Considine, McLennan, Jenks, Ruth.
Booked: Bates.
Referee: Bobby Madden. Attendance: 14,509.