Happy Hibees
Happiness is . . .
Opening up a six-point gap between yourselves and fourthplaced Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership.
Martin Boyle and Joe Newell celebrate Hibs’ equaliser against Ross County and (inset) Ofir Marciano, Ryan Porteous and Newell milk the moment at time up.
ROSS COUNTY 1 Mckay (50) HIBS 2
Boyle (52, pen), Nisbet (61)
John Hughes accused Hibs’ scorer Martin Boyle of “conning” the referee with his best Tom Daley impression in Dingwall.
The Ross County manager felt referee John Beaton was taken in by a clear dive for the Edinburgh club’s crucial equaliser, with the striker making and taking the spot-kick just two minutes after Billy Mckay’s early second-half opener.
Hibs then went on to claim a massive three points through Kevin Nisbet’s first goal in nine games to move six points above Aberdeen in the race for third place.
Hughes, though, felt the 52nd minute spot-kick should never have stood and stressed: “I felt Boyle played for the penalty. I felt he went into him.
“The last time I saw a dive like that the boy had Speedos on!
“I am expecting better from John Beaton, but he only gets one look at it.
“Boyle then dived again on the far side but John decided not to take any action because it would have been a second yellow and a red.
“That’s what I was talking to him about at the end. You need to see it, that’s what you get paid for and we expect better than that.
“It just seems that up at Ross County, it’s easy to give penalties.
“I’m not having a go at referees, I’m in it with them and they have decisions to make.”
Kilmarnock were the winners in the relegation fight with both County and Hamilton Accies, just above them, losing.
Hughes, though, is delighted by his team’s late season progress and added: “I feel sorry for the lads because they deserve more.
“I have trust in them and I can see us come along leaps and bounds. The attitude is there, they have a good physical presence.
“I want better football but they are giving me everything.”
March 13 marked two big anniversaries in the Staggies’ past, one monumental, the other significant enough.
Five years before, the Dingwall team had won their first major cup silverware by beating Hibs at Hampden Park in the League Cup final.
And 11 years to the day, while still a First Division club, they had twice come from behind to level at Easter Road before winning the Scottish Cup replay tie back in Dingwall en-route to the 2010 final.
Hibs conspired to spoil the occasion yesterday, but only after an extremely close-fought 90 minutes.
An early blunder, inside four minutes, saw on-loan Celtic teenager Leo Hjelde fail to sense danger as he sent a rash back-pass towards keeper Ross Laidlaw, and the alert Boyle seized on it.
He dragged the ball to Laidlaw’s left and cut it back to Chris Cadden, who shot over the bar from 15 yards.
County grabbed the lead five minutes into the second period when Jason Naismith’s initial cross was knocked away by Ryan Porteous, but Jordan Tillson cut the ball back.
Jordan White’s downward header set up Mckay for a side-footed finish high into the net.
Hibs hit back swiftly with Alex Iacovitti harshly adjudged to have tripped Boyle in the home penalty area.
Boyle confidently smashed the spot-kick straight down the middle of the goal.
County should have regained the lead soon after but Keith Watson’s strike was blocked by Ofir Marciano and White’s attempt on the rebound was straight at the keeper.
It proved costly as Hibs stormed back, with Paul Hanlon’s cross from the left picking out Kevin Nisbet at the far post for a simple tap-in.