SUFFERING SAINTS
Levein’s men jeered after dire display makes it easy for Hibs
BOOED off the park at half-time and full-time with certain players accused by their own manager of not putting a shift in and the opposition boss admitting that his side should have scored seven at an absolute minimum.
Not good at all for St Johnstone when they are struggling to keep their heads above water at the bottom of the Premiership and looking like a team running ever shorter on belief and confidence.
How strange to think they won 2-1 at Easter Road just three weeks ago, putting a huge hole in Hibs’ doomed hopes of making it into the top six. They were absolutely brutal here. Just brutal.
Goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov was the only player to get pass marks on account of the number of saves he had to make to stop it becoming a cricket score.
Other than that, there was little to offer much hope — other than the news coming through from Livingston that Ross County had lost and remain second bottom in the relegation play-off spot.
It’s hard to know where to begin with Saints. They lost goals to Emilio Marcondes, Paul Hanlon and Dylan Vente before a lastminute effort from Benji Kimpioka gave the scoreline a degree of respectability. There was nothing worthy of respect in the overall display, though.
Grim defending, daft mistakes, misplaced passes, gaps all over the field that Hibs players were all too eager to take advantage of, a lack of clarity and killer instinct in attack. It had it all, really. All the stuff you don’t need with so much on the line. Manager Craig Levein admits he has seen similar performances this season and takes heart from the fact the side have generally managed to bounce back — but he admits he is at a stage where he barely knows what kind of team is going to turn up.
‘It was frustrating,’ said Levein. ‘We didn’t start particularly well. Our decision-making and our execution of passes was really poor. We had a situation where we’d have two or three passes, give it away, have to run back the whole length of the pitch to recover it and then do the same thing again.
‘It was better in the second half, but we gave ourselves a mountain to climb. The thing that irritates me the most is people not doing a shift, not working.
‘They did plenty of running because they continually gave the ball away and we just made it difficult for ourselves.
‘I am not worried. We’ve had other performances like that and they have come back and performed really well for two or three games before maybe throwing another one in — and it is the inconsistency that is the nub of it.
‘I don’t know if we are going to turn up and perform at a good level, which we have done on a number of occasions, or if we will turn up and make poor decisions and execute things poorly.’
The tone was set for this one after six minutes. Daniel Phillips was guilty of a trip on Martin Boyle and Marcondes stepped up to bend a sublime, right-footed free-kick high into the net to Mitov’s right.
Saints could have levelled just a matter of minutes later, though, when Adama Sidibeh, who was taken off injured towards the end of the opening period and left the ground in a protective boot, was presented with a golden opportunity.
An attempted clearance by David Marshall hit off a Hibs team-mate and fell perfectly for the Gambianborn striker just outside the area.
He had only Marshall to beat, but never looked confident and sent his effort off the goalkeeper’s outstretched left leg.
From that point onwards, Saints’ goose was cooked. After Boyle had been allowed to run the length of the pitch before seeing an attempted chip saved, Hibs doubled their advantage right at the end of the opening period.
Hanlon had been thrown on for the injured Will Fish midway through the half and popped up in the right place at the right time to take advantage of some absolutely scandalous defending and score his first goal in almost a year.
Both Liam Gordon and Andy Considine had chances to deal with a long throw from Joe Newell into the area, but they failed. And when it landed at the feet of Hanlon, he wasted no time in poking it into the corner of Mitov’s net.
It should have been 3-0 just 10 minutes into the second 45 when Marcondes released Boyle up the right. He cut inside and laid it on a plate for Myziane Maolida, whose shot was blocked on the goal-line by Phillips.
But after more heroics from Mitov, the visitors’ third goal arrived on 76 minutes. Substitute Josh Campbell headed the ball forward and Vente was given all the time in the world to charge into the area and smash it into the net.
‘We weren’t as clinical as we should have been because we could have scored another four goals minimum, but their goalkeeper pulled off some great saves,’ stated Hibs manager Nick Montgomery. ‘We totally dominated.
‘I think that’s been the standard most of the season if you look at the statistics. We’re right up there at the top of the league for expected goals. You just have to be clinical.’
By the time Saints’ consolation goal came in the final minute of the 90, it was all over. A ball driven across goal by Luke Robinson was sidefooted home by substitute Kimpioka from close-range.
It was an accomplished finish, but it couldn’t stop Levein’s side taking dog’s abuse again at time-up. This was nowhere near the standard required.
ST JOHNSTONE (3-4-1-2): Mitov; McGowan, Gordon, Considine; Franczak (Wright 61), Phillips (MacPherson 84), M Smith (C Smith 61), Robinson; Carey; Clark (May 61), Sidibeh. Subs not used: Richards, Kucheriavyi, Olufunwa, Kimpioka, Keltjens.
Booked: None.
HIBERNIAN (4-2-3-1): Marshall; Cadden, Fish (Hanlon 24), Bushiri, Obita; Moriah-Welsh (Levitt 80), Newell; Boyle, Marcondes (Campbell 70), Maolida (Stevenson 79); Le Fondre (Vente 70). Subs not used: Wollacott, Mayenda, Triantis, Tavares.
Booked: Bushiri.
Referee: David Munro. 4,450.