PAIN AND GAIN
Hibs scrape by 10-man Kilmarnock as Johnson recovers at home after operation
HIBERNIAN delivered a victory for their stricken manager but still managed to make heavy weather of it in the process.
Lee Johnson was back home recovering from emergency gallbladder removal surgery on Friday, with his assistant Jamie McAllister taking the team in his place. It must have been an uncomfortable experience following from the sofa as Hibs toiled to make their superiority count after Kilmarnock lost Ash Taylor to a red card after just 10 minutes, missing chance after chance.
In the end, Joe Newell’s early goal proved to be enough as Hibs finally landed their first victory in five attempts.
Killie stood strong in the face of adversity and were still in the contest as the game wound its way into injury time, a corner sending anxious ripples around Easter Road.
The full-time whistle brought a sense of relief, with McAllister admitting the team would need to work on their shooting practice in the weeks ahead.
‘I think we had 25 shots on goal and dominated but it was that quality in the final third that let us down,’ he said.
‘We should have been out of sight and managed the game better. We got into some great areas and created good chances but it was just that final pass or execution in the final third to get the second goal and be comfortable.
‘We were always giving them a chance when we were 1-0 and they were throwing caution to the wind with 10 men, catching us on the counter-attack.’
Johnson had threatened to attend the game against doctor’s advice but was eventually persuaded to follow from home.
‘I think he’s popped a few stitches,’ joked McAllister of his boss. ‘He was on the phone to David Gray through the game, so we were in constant contact.
‘He was talking about coming for the game. He texted me on Saturday morning saying he felt a lot better. I told him to stay away and I’d see him next week.
‘He said he might pop in next week but his health is the most important thing and he looks after himself.’
Kilmarnock had knocked Hearts out of the Premier Sports Cup at Tynecastle on Wednesday with a 1-0 success but their chances of completing a capital double all but evaporated here after just 12 minutes.
Martin Boyle looked to have the beating of Taylor as the pair latched on to a long ball, forcing the former Aberdeen defender to whip the legs away from him.
It looked right on the line of the box, possibly inside, but referee John Beaton consulted with his officials before deciding the foul had taken place outside and awarded the free-kick. The red card came out for Taylor.
Newell saw his set-piece attempt saved by Sam Walker but was first to the rebound to drill home a low shot to put Hibs in front.
Kilmarnock’s gameplan was always going to be to sit in and try to hit their hosts on the counter-attack but, having lost Taylor so early on, they almost had no choice in the matter over the remaining 78 minutes.
Hibs dominated the ball for long spells as expected, creating chances but failing to take any of them over the remainder of the first half. Ewan Henderson was the worst offender, somehow scooping his shot over the crossbar after being teed up by Chris Cadden.
Kilmarnock offered very little in an attacking sense in the first half — Innes Cameron dragging a shot well wide — but were insistent they should have had a penalty when Cadden barged Benjamin Chrisene off the ball late in the first half. Beaton, though, wasn’t convinced, much to McInnes’ frustration.
McAllister threw on Harry McKirdy, one of three deadline-day signings, for his debut early in the second half and the former Swindon Town striker came close to marking the occasion with a goal, his diving header from Cadden’s cross going just over.
When another replacement, Momodou Bojang, then fluffed a tame shot straight into the goalkeeper’s arms as the clock moved into the 90th minute, three sides of the stadium threatened to self-combust in frustration.
Kilmarnock wouldn’t find that equaliser but, in defeat, they gave a solid account of themselves.
‘It was challenging going behind, it was a double whammy losing the goal from the red card incident,’ said manager McInnes.
‘Going behind with 10 men at a place like Easter Road was going to be a real challenge for us. But I thought the better team lost the game, to be honest.’