Proud Porteous rounds off ‘best week of career’ with crucial goal

A NATIONAL rail strike limited the travel options for some 980 Hibernian supporters who made it to the Highlands to witness Ryan Porteous, the newly-capped Scotland defender, again emerge as the man of the moment.

How the Leith hordes would love to see all lines of communication and outward transport from the Easter Road area of Edinburgh shut down for the big defender in coming weeks and months.

Without a doubt, Hibs face a struggle to keep the cultured defender in their dressing room beyond the end of the last year of his dwindling contract.

Porteous, outstanding in Krakow as Scotland held strong against Ukraine to join the Nations League elite, netted the crucial opener 25 seconds into the second half.

That was only one aspect of a quite superb display. He was cool and inventive on the ball, probing deep into Ross County territory repeatedly to instigate attacks, while remaining sound and imposing at the back alongside Paul Hanlon.

Unsurprisingly, the 23-year-old would not be drawn later on what the future may hold for him.

‘I have just been completely concentrating on football for a long time now,’ he said.

‘I have been solely focused on that for the past six months and it is paying off. I am getting into the Scotland squad and doing well and scoring today.

‘The team really helps me as well as a group. I have a lot of good people around me and the focus is solely on football.

‘There have been conversations with the manager, but I am not going to tell you anything.’

Porteous (below) admitted the Dingwall performance capped off an unforgettable week.

‘It is definitely up there with the best week of my career,’ he said. ‘To go away with Scotland, do well for your country and the country ending up where we wanted to be was fantastic.

‘The gaffer was quite hard on me when I came back and said it was back to reality now — Dingwall — and get your mind focused on that.

‘I hadn’t won often up here and the team have struggled, but I thought it was a fantastic performance from front to back.’

Hibs moved above Hearts in the table, building on recent restorative home victories over Aberdeen and Kilmarnock to secure three straight wins for the first time since December last year.

Unchanged from the Dons game, there was the pre-match boost of the inclusion of Kyle Magennis on the bench after 12 months of injury troubles with his groin and knee. There was even a late bow for the midfielder to cap a happy Hibs day.

The Staggies, with just one Premiership win to their name so far, drafted in Bristol City loanee Owura Edwards for a first start since mid-August and he was the home side’s main threat in the first half.

Unfortunately, he failed to net County’s big chance in the first period, with David Marshall blocking him close in after 27 minutes.

Hibs were the more threatening side in the first half, with Porteous often prompting attacks with clever passes and adventurous running.

The second half, though, brought the sea-change.

Somehow, it felt inevitable that the breakthrough would come from the boot of Porteous, just 25 seconds after the restart.

Joe Newell launched a long throw into the home penalty box and, amid a rabble of flailing legs, Porteous was calm enough to swivel into position six yards out and beat Laidlaw.

There was an incredible miss for Hibs after Newell swept the ball across the face of goal but Martin Boyle, sliding in, failed to connect from a few yards.

But Boyle settled it by thrashing in the second from 12 yards after a ball across from the right from Chris Cadden.

Malky Mackay, the County manager — now preparing for Motherwell’s Tuesday visit — is looking for more players to be as brave on the ball as Edwards was.

‘I was reasonably happy at half-time, but when we have those golden chances we have to take them,’ he said.

‘I’m not criticising Owura Edwards because I felt he was one of the guys that really shone for us today. He really showed bravery today to get on the ball and we need more players to do the same.’

ROSS COUNTY (4-2-3-1): Laidlaw; Johnson (Watson 57 ), Baldwin, Iacovitti, Purrington; Cancola (Dhanda 46 ), Paton; Akio (Olaigbe 57), Callachan, Edwards (Sims 74); White (Hiwula, 68). Subs (not used):

Eastwood, Samuel, Loturi, Tillson. Booked: Cancola.

HIBERNIAN (4-2-3-1): Marshall; Cadden, Porteous, Hanlon, Cabraja; Newell (Henderson 86), Kenna; Boyle, Campbell, Youan (McKirdy 55); Kukharevych (Magennis 82). Subs (not used): Schofield, Miller, Tavares, Stevenson, McGregor, Fish.

Booked: None.

Referee: Alan Muir.

Attendance: 4,243.