Sucker punches difficult to take but Monty still the man for Hibs

It is hard not to get swallowed up in the depth of frustration in the aftermath of these results. They’re not isolated, Hibs have failed to take all three points from winning positions on numerous occasions this season, and you only have to go back a week to see us turn a two-goal lead into a point against Ross County to further highlight the issue.

Against Aberdeen, Hibs were, if not completely dominant, then at least comfortably in control of the game midway through the second half when Aberdeen’s Jack MacKenzie was sent off for one of the most ridiculous second bookings you’re likely to see.

By that point, Hibs had seen a Martin Boyle goal disallowed for the tightest of offside calls and had a penalty appeal ignored by referee John Beaton. However, Hibs , rather than capitalising on Aberdeen’s misfortune, found a way to lose a match in which they rarely looked in any trouble.

The inquest into the defeat will show that Lewis Miller’s decision to win a foul rather than deal with the ball let Bojan Miovski race clear of Joe Newell, Jordan Obita, and Dylan Levitt – all of whom might consider they could have done more in the situation – before slotting the ball past David Marshall.

The real frustration is borne from the fact that Hibs were so comfortable in the match up until that red card, at which point they stopped doing the things that had put Aberdeen on the back foot. And like a careless boxer who senses a knockout, they started throwing haymakers for a quick victory, only to find themselves sucker-punched by an opponent who always carried the potential to be a danger.

The game always looked like one goal would be enough to win it, and so it proved. Had Boyle’s goal counted, I have no doubt Hibs would have gone on to win. The lengthy VAR review following the goal and the decision to disallow it undoubtedly lifted Aberdeen as much as it scunnered Hibs.

On that offside decision, there is an acceptance that either a player is onside or they’re not, and if the correct outcome is arrived at, then you can accept it. The process needs reviewed, though - if the technology takes so long to figure out if someone’s shoulder is an inch ahead of someone’s heel, then it’s not worth it. For the good of the game, these decisions should be time-limited and if it can’t be decided within a set amount of time, then give the goal.

I was less convinced about Dylan Vente’s penalty claim, however I think it was worthy of a review, particularly in light of the penalty awarded to Rangers in the second semi-final a day later. While the two incidents were not identical, there were enough similarities to draw a comparison and Hibs can rightly feel aggrieved that their appeal wasn’t at least considered.

Those grievances aside, it’s hard to grumble about the outcome. Aberdeen offered nothing in the game but were clinical when they needed to be. Hibs, on the other hand, were wasteful – a characteristic that has crept into their game over recent weeks where the much-lauded forward line has been fairly impotent.

So it was on to Paisley on Wednesday night where Hibs had the opportunity to put the Hampden disappointment behind them. Montgomery had some significant selection issues to contend with. Neither Boyle, Christian Doidge, or Adam Le Fondre were fit enough to start, with only Boyle able to make the matchday squad.

Monty started Rory Whittaker at right back in place of Lewis Miller and brought Josh Campbell back into the fold in an unfamiliar centre-forward(ish) position alongside Dylan Vente at the expense of Martin Boyle.

It was Campbell who opened the scoring in the first half with a low strike from the edge of the box. Hibs had played well in that first period, limiting their hosts to only brief passages of pressure, and deservedly took the lead into the break.

VAR would strike again shortly after the half time break, with an innocuous looking challenge by Jordan Obita being called for review. That review showed the slightest of shirt tugs, and a penalty was awarded. The frustration for Hibs isn’t that the penalty was unjustified - Obita’s tug clearly impeded St Mirren’s Richard Taylor – it is that there were fouls on Rocky Bushiri and David Marshall in the same passage of play.

I suspect that those were overlooked on a technicality in that the scope of VAR is only to look at the penalty incident rather than the full picture. Again, that feels like something that should be reviewed, you can’t ask a referee to ignore one foul in favour of another in all fairness.

READ MORE: The good, the bad and the ugly as Hibs' held by St Mirren - analysis

Joe Newell put Hibs back in front with a cracking goal following a move started by a moment of class from Elie Youan, and it looked like Hibs would hold out until, again, we found a way to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory. Youan was again involved, this time losing possession as he broke forward, and seconds later St Mirren had levelled.

It is easy to criticise Montgomery and the players for another disappointment, when it looks like lessons aren’t being learned and there is a perceived weakness in the team that leaves them susceptible to these moments of madness. However, in the cold light of day you can look back at both the performances this week and give a huge amount of credit to Montgomery for getting a high level of performance out of his players.

This is particularly true about the team’s performance against St Mirren. Given the injuries and the players available to him, for Montgomery to have been on the cusp of a well-earned win says a great deal more about him than the manner of the late goal.

It perhaps doesn’t feel like it right now, but there are definitely grounds for optimism, and I firmly believe that Montgomery has the team going in the right direction.