Hibs ground out a hard-fought 1-0 win over a dogged Kilmarnock side in the last game before the international break last Saturday. Ironically, with Hibs having already lost to Aberdeen, and drawn with St Mirren over the last eight days, it was Nick Montgomery’s side’s worst performance of the three games that brought them victory.
That’s not to say Hibs were poor, to do so would be unfair on a team who had to do the dirty work well to fend off Derek McInnes’ side, who threw everything at a late equaliser. It’s testament to how well Hibs dug in that Killie’s first shot on target came in the final throes of the match.
McInnes commented in his post-match interview that his analysis on Hibs had highlighted a tendency to concede late goals, and he set his side up to stay in the game as long as possible with a view to capitalising on any late opportunities.
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It didn’t make for pretty viewing. In the few moments in the first half where football threatened to break out, it was Hibs who showed their quality. Martin Boyle had a goal correctly disallowed for offside – no lengthy VAR check required for this one – and a penalty appeal waived away after going down in the Killie box.
In Sky Sports’ review of the weekend’s contentious incidents, their resident referee expert, Dermot Gallagher, was sure that a penalty should have been awarded. I have to say, at the game I didn’t think Boyle had much of a case.
Will Fish, however, had a stronger claim after he was wrestled to the ground at a first half corner. The referee didn’t want to know, and VAR wasn’t minded to intervene on this occasion – a frustrating call given the circumstances in which Hibs conceded a penalty to St Mirren in their previous match.
Hibs weren’t done there with the penalty shouts, Joe Newell was the victim of an aggressive late challenge as he hit the touchline, replays showed that the defender took nothing of the ball and again, VAR refused to help the referee, who had awarded a corner.
It feels like VAR is the bone of contention every week at the moment, and it has to be said that the inconsistency in its use causes a great deal of frustration amongst the support – particularly those at the game who are left guessing at what’s going on.
I do think there are positives with VAR - there’s no question that it has righted some wrongs since its introduction. However, the version of VAR that has been adopted in Scotland has some way to go before it can be considered anything near a success. Rather than improving decision making, it appears to have only highlighted inconsistencies and, at times, incompetence from the match officials. In its current guise, I would happily see it binned. It is not improving the game for fans.
Back to the game, Boyle showed his worth to the team when he collected the ball in his own half before riding a couple of tackles when he could have gone down for a foul (or at least, for the chance of a foul…). By staying on his feet, Boyle was able to slip a pass to Josh Campbell, who stroked the ball into the net for his second goal in as many games.
Campbell possesses that great knack of being in the right place at the right time to score goals. He’s found it hard to cement a place in the first team, despite many plaudits last season, and it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what sort of player Campbell is (other than a goal scorer, which isn’t the worst label to be given, in all fairness).
With Christian Doidge and Adam Le Fondre missing due to injury, Campbell has been utilised as a second striker, and he’s grasped his chance. Whether he keeps his place once the other forwards are fit, particularly with Elias Melkersen and Harry McKirdy due to return to the first team in the not-too-distant future, remains to be seen. On current form, though, it would be incredibly harsh to drop him.
The second half had very little to write home about. Killie huffed and puffed but never really looked like blowing Hibs’ house down, and the home side saw out the match in relative comfort.
Lewis Miller did his best to drum up some post-match entertainment right on the final whistle as he clashed with some Kilmarnock players, earning him a booking in the process. Having scored for Australia this week, I’m sure Miller will not care about that late yellow card.
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Miller’s rise this season has been terrific to see, and it’ll please Ian Gordon to see Miller and Jair Tavares flourishing under Montgomery. Both players were much maligned last season as Gordon’s credentials as head of recruitment were constantly called into question. With both players now starting regularly for the first team, Elie Youan establishing himself as a star player in the team, and Will Fish now a mainstay in the centre of defence, it’s perhaps fair to give a nod to Gordon’s work last summer in the transfer window.
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