Instant analysis as Hibs cruise into Premier Sports Cup last 16

With Queen's Park battering Kelty Hearts 6-0, the four goals were, in the end, the minimum requirement for David Gray's side to top the group, and they were delivered via Lewis Miller's double, plus strikes from Rudi Molotnikov and Nathan Moriah-Welsh.

Hibs were almost entirely untroubled by their League Two opponents, but it took time completely break their defensive resistance, with three of the four goals coming in the second half. The only real concern on the day for Gray was the loss of Warren O'Hora to injury, the influential centre-back limping off in the first-half.

Liam Bryce was in Leith to provide the instant analysis.

Job done

It would have taken a perfect storm of unfavourable outcomes for Hibs to be completely eliminated from this competition here, but there was still work to be done. Against, admittedly, very limited opposition, Gray's side deserve credit for leaving no doubt over the one outcome they were in control of - getting themselves onto nine points in the group. The four goals they accrued ended up not being gloss, but entirely necessary as Queen's Park put Kelty Hearts to the sword to close the goal difference gap a fair bit more than Hibs would have been comfortable with. Last weekend's blip aside, Hibs have gone about their business professionally, and again showed the willingness - as they did against Elgin and Queen's - to keep chasing more goals, and they probably should have registered a few more, at least. 

Miller at the double

A welcome brace from the Australian was enough to see Hibs over the line here, and it's something Gray will surely encourage more of from him. Tall, powerful, and athletic, Miller possesses so many of the attributes to be a standout Premiership full-back, if he can pull it all together on a regular basis. With Hibs camped in the Peterhead half for much of the afternoon, the 24-year-old was able to play as advanced as he ever will, and he made it count to match-winning effect.

His first was almost certainly a cross, but he deserved a stroke of fortune for the composure shown to duck inside the opposing full-back and deliver a teasing ball towards the back post. For the second, he again reaped rewards for continuing a run into the box, with the ball breaking into his path to tee up a tidy finish. With Chris Cadden still out for now, Miller has a chance to make his case for being first choice.

Moriah-Welsh catches the eye

Miller may have grabbed a double, but it was Moriah-Welsh who stood out most for Hibs on the day. His workrate and tenacity was immediately apparent following a January move north from Bournemouth, but the midfielder himself has said he wants to show more of what he's about on the ball, and put in extra close-season work to make that happen.

Here, he capped off a dynamic performance with a well-taken first goal for the club, arriving right on time to volley Jordan Obita's inch-perfect cross high into the net. The 22-year-old was named man of the match for a fine day's work, but like others who have made decisive contributions over these last four games, the challenge is to then take that into the league campaign, where this team, ultimately, will be judged.

O'Hora injury fears

He's skated through just about every minute he's played in a Hibs shirt so far, so it certainly put a dampener on the mood at an already quiet Easter Road when Warren O'Hora was taken off injured around the half-hour mark with what appeared to be a knee issue. The centre-back was assessed by the Hibs physio but it didn't take long at all for him to conclude that the Irishman wasn't fit to continue.

The extent of the problem will be quickly assessed but it would be a real concern were he to be missing for any length of time, given the positive influence he has exerted over his team-mates so far. Not only has O'Hora looked a very capable footballer, he's clearly also a leader, and Hibs can't afford to lose too many of those at the minute.