Hibs and Dons share spoils in six goal thriller
Hibernian 3 – Aberdeen 3 Three goals in added time saw Hibs snatch a draw with Aberdeen in their thrilling Easter Road encounter, easing some of the pressure on David Gray. The Edinburgh side looked to have put this season’s woes behind when captain Joe Newell snuck his side ahead before half-time. But as the second half wore on, Gray would surely not have batted an eyelid if it had been revealed that he was in fact stuck in Groundhog Day as he watched his players let a lead slip yet again. Substitute Shayden Morris’ repeated darts to the byline finally saw his poorly cleared cross finished by Jack McGrath. As the home side began to crack under the weight of expectation and fear of history repeating itself Nicky Devlin’s attacking forays were rewarded, pouncing on Jordan Smith’s howler after the keeper’s mis-hit punch allowed the ball to land fortuitously at his feet. As time ticked by, the home side looked short of any ideas whilst Aberdeen looked set to bounce back in perfect fashion following their first defeat of the season against St. Mirren. That was until Nick Cadden’s thunderous free-kick in added time proved impossible for Dimitar Mitov to reach, levelling the scores with only four minutes to go. Morris was on hand to leave Hibs fans with their heads in their hands, as he once again beat his man to lob the ball into the box before Ester Sokler’s stunning overhead kick seemed to have sealed matters in the 95th minute. The footballing Gods must surely have taken pity on Hibs for the first time this season, granting centre-back Rocky Bushiri the energy to charge up the park mere moments later and initiate a counter-attack that he subsequently finish for the sixth goal of the evening. Despite the leveller, Hibernian remain at the bottom of the table, winless since September. Thelin’s strength in depth Jimmy Thelin has gone two consecutive games without a win for the first time this season. It is almost worth bringing out the world’s smallest violin for a side that looks almost unrecognisable from last season’s basket case. Part of what has made the Dons such an impressive outfit though, is the way the manager has been able to get the best out of his fringe players. Nisbet, Morris and Sokler are just some of the squad who have had to content themselves with appearing on a rotational basis or, in Morris’ case, are trusted to make an immediate impact from the bench. Yet this evening, they played with the verve and commitment of a trio who have fully bought into Thelin’s plans. With six games scheduled in December alone, there will no period more crucial than the upcoming winter for those who are not regular starters to come to step into the spotlight. Judging by tonight’s efforts, they are more than ready. Hibs show fighting spirit If accusations of a soft underbelly have plagued Hibernian, tonight’s performance showed just as much as fight as any team this season. Traditionally, David Gray’s side have become accustomed to being dealt killer blows in added time. Now, he will hope they have got a taste for handing them out. To score not one, but two goals so late on is hardly indicative of a team that has given up and certain individuals, such as the monumental Bushiri, can take a fair bit of credit for an impressive comeback. Others, like Jordan Smith, less so. There seems to be nothing the manager can do to fix things during games, which are starting to look an awful lot like an exercise in constantly putting out small fires everywhere. Despite the fact that they were unable to hold on to their lead and overtake Hearts in the table, fans will take solace in the side’s determination tonight. Line-ups: Hibernian: Smith, Iredale (Boyle, 84′), Bushiri, O’Hora, Cadden, Newell, Triantis (Kwon Hyeok-Kyu, 75′), Miller, Hoilett (Campbell, 75′), Youan, Kuharevich (Gayle, 64′) Aberdeen: Mitov, MacKenzie, Molloy, Rubezic, Devlin (Milne, 83′), Heltne Nilsen, Shinnie, Duk (Sokler, 80), McGrath, Keskinen (Morris, 54′), Nisbet (Clarkson, 46′) Referee: Calum Scott Attendance: 15, 845
Chaotic Chilvers and Top Scorer Hale – What WE Learned with Ross County
Don Cowie’s men excelled in a 2-1 win over in-form Motherwell on Saturday; our reporter Keith Cook details the main talking points. Nisbet gets off the mark. Josh Nisbet nabbed his first goal for The Staggies with a wonderful effort from the edge of the area that curled into the top corner. The charismatic Aussie had been talking during the week about wanting to add more goals and assists to his game and did exactly that Saturday. “I didn’t hit it as cleanly as I would’ve liked. I wanted a little more power on it, but I was aiming for that corner. But if I keep that up, I’ll be doing alright” The Australian is a real touch of class in the middle of the park for County, for years, it has felt like they’ve lacked a creative midfielder able to get their foot on the ball and pick a pass, but with Nisbet, it seems they have found their man. His ability to escape tight areas of the pitch is evident, and he is always looking to play the ball forward. Whilst only arriving in the summer, Nisbet believes he is starting to find his feet. He said: “Tonight was a bit different…it was very cold! But I’m starting to get used to the conditions, but yeah, I’m finding my feet, and hopefully, the performances will come” Noah Chilvers excels The all-action midfielder was shown on Saturday and would been a worthy man of the match if not for Josh Nisbet’s strikes. After being left out of the loss at Dundee Utd, the Englishman played as if he had a point to prove, covering every blade of grass. It was his effort that sparked County into life in the first half, driving into the box and firing a fierce shot towards the Well’ goal changed the atmosphere in the stadium and rallied the fans in what was becoming a stop-start affair. His assist for Ronan Hale in the second half gave County the lead, and manager Don Cowie praised his attacking ability. Cowie said: “Noah was terrific. He really drove the team on; it was his shot that gave everyone that lift. He can be a real threat, and it’s about replicating that on a consistent basis.” Hale tops of the charts Ronan Hale climbed his way to joint top of the SPFL scoring charts on Saturday, his strike minutes into the second half gives him 5 goals for the season. The striker, signed from Cliftonville in the summer, has been a fan favourite from day one. The pacy striker had been leading the line with Jordan White in recent weeks in an old-school big man/little man dynamic. It marks his first goal since his penalty in the 2-1 defeat against Celtic. Hale terrorised the Well’ backline all game, constantly trying to get in behind their backline, making darting runs off the last man. His relationship with Josh Nisbet is still early, but there are positive signs there for Caley that the dynamic midfielder and quick-footed Hale can be a real danger duo. A first goal in six, Cowie hopes this can be the start of another good run for the Irishman: “Ronan kept telling me he was due one. He has been frustrated that he hadn’t scored for a few games, but he is always in the right positions”