Spoils shared at Easter Road as Hibs hold Rangers
Hibernian 2-2 Rangers Barry Ferguson’s possible last game in charge of Rangers fell flat as Hibernian levelled twice to cap off a remarkable second half of the season. A Cyriel Dessers opening just two minutes in had stunned an Easter Road crowd in the mood to celebrate. Jordan Smith’s careless pass allowing Nico Raskin to feed the league top scorer who lifted the ball over his header before drilling in his 17th for the season. Lethal on the counter, Hibernian punished the visitors’ profligacy in front of goal, racing from one end to the other with Martin Boyle’s drilled low ball across the box finding Kieron Bowie who was able to slip away for the leveller. Having failed to learn from an early Raskin header from a corner, David Gray’s side were punished after the break as the Belgian’s deft flick-on gave Rangers the lead. In almost as much time as it taken them to respond to the opener, Hibs fired back for a second time as Nicky Cadden’s long range cross found Martin Boyle in an incredulous amount of space to head the ball past a helpless Jack Butland. There will no doubt be frustration for Barry Ferguson, who watched his side fumble two golden opportunities, the first from Vaclav Černy, who botched his attempt one on one with Smith. The worst was yet to come, this time Raskin contriving to beat Smith yet fail to put the ball past Rocky Bushiri, who found himself bundled over inside the goal, with Dessers unable to do better on the rebound. Smith was not short of things to do on the day, brilliantly denying James Tavernier’s free-kick heading straight for the top corner. Ferguson’s audition ends but problems deeper For all the use of platitudes and rousing speeches, the numbers never lie and what they tell us is fairly damning for Ferguson’s job prospects. Having failed to win a game in which they were dominant, part of the blame lies with the players who were unable to convert numerous chances in front of goal. As Raskin said in his conference after the game, the performance summed up the season as a whole, flashes but unable to get over the line. The pantomime of names associated with the club will run wild in the coming weeks with Fergus not out of the mix by any means, but the issues at the club run far deeper than who is in the dugout. Fitting Gayle tribute cherry on cake If ever there was a way to round off a career, Dwight Gayle might have struggled to conjure one as special as being surrounded by family and teammates, being serenaded by ‘Sunshine on Leith’. Despite the glorious weather, Hibs by no means had their minds on sunny beaches. Instead, they continued to hound Rangers after falling behind. A season that looked destined for the doldrums was turned on its head with that Aberdeen draw and where once a relegation battle was on the cards, the club can now dangle the carrot of European football in front of potential signings. Indeed their transfer window might be one of the most interesting of the summer (second to Rangers it is fair to say) as they look to strengthen to play on multiple fronts without falling to the spiralling impact that their Edinburgh rivals suffered. Line-ups: Hibernian: Smith, Iredale (Obita 93), Bushiri, O’Hora, Cadden, Manneh (Moriah-Welsh 57), Triantis (Levitt 79), Cadden, Hoilett (Campbell 57), Bowie (Gayle 57), Boyle (c) Unused subs: Bursik, Ekpiteta, Kuharevich, Levitt, Youan Goals: Bowie (16) Booked: Bowie, Moriah-Welsh, Boyle Rangers: Butland, Kasanwirjo, Balogun (Pröpper), Souttar, Tavernier (c), Raskin (Cortés 81), Barron, Diomandé (Lawrence 54), Danilo, Dessers, Černy (Rice 81) Unused subs: Kelly, Curtis, McCallion, McCausland, Nsiala, Rice Goals: Dessers (2) Booked: Diomandé, Kasanwirjo Attendance: 18,793
Livingston make no mistake securing their play off final spot in a victory over Partick Thistle
Venue: The Home of The Set Fare Arena Date: 16/5/25 Time: 19:45 Livingston are playoff final-bound, as they saw off Partick Thistle at home. A 2-0 win saw the hosts become an unlikely winner after a strong performance from the visitors. However, Livingston defended well, taking their chances better out of two teams. An early free kick gave Partick Thistle the first chance of the match. As Steven Lawless rolled the ball to Logan Chalmers on the edge of the box, Chalmers fired his shot way over the bar. Leaving no test for Jerome Prior. Thistle seemed keen to make amends for their defeat in the opening tie, keeping hold of the ball well and applying pressure on the hosts. After their early chance, they continued the search for an opener. Thistles’ second chance came in the fifteenth minute, after the ball broke just inside the home teams’ half. It was Ben Stanway to latch onto it, driving at Livingstons’ defence, and eventually taking his shot. However, the effort was deflected wide and put out for a corner. Once again, it was the visitors on the offence. As Kanayo Megwa whipped his ball into the box, after a stramash, the ball broke to Brian Graham. He took his touch and fired the effort goalbound, only to see it deflect off a Livingston defender and be cleared. It took 22 minutes for Livingston to have an effort at goal, after a looping corner from Stephen Kelly, Danny Wilson was unmarked at the back post. His header flew just over the bar. Then, just a minute later, Lewis Smith had an audacious effort at goal saved by David Mitchell. After cutting in from the right wing, whipping his shot goalward, he saw Mitchell parry it to safety. The opener came 40 minutes into the match, with the hosts scoring what would be an important goal in the battle for promotion. The ball broke on the right wing to Jamie Brandon, who drove into the penalty area. Hitting his shot across goal, seeing it deflect in off Mitchell. The goal put Livingston 3-0 up on aggregate, making the second half a hard task for Thistle. Half time came, and the hosts were a goal to the good. A strong finish from Brandon was the only goal separating the teams. Although against the run of play, it was exactly what Livingston were after. Just six minutes into the second half, Danny Wilson almost turned the ball into his own net after Megwas’ cross. However, the deflection was steered wide of the post. As the game reached the hour mark, Thistle continued to dominate. However, they couldn’t turn their possession and chances into goals. Ultimately leaving them a goal down. In the 67th minute, the ball broke to substitute Stevie May, giving him an unlikely shooting chance. The striker turned and hit the ball on the volley, hitting the top left corner from around 20 yards out. A special finish to round off an impressive playoff fixture from Livingston. The full-time whistle fell, and the hosts did exactly as required. Seeing out the second half, keeping a clean sheet and becoming deserved winners of this tie. Lineups: Livingston: J. Prior, R. McGowan, S. Pittman(R. McAleer) S. Kelly, R. Fraser, J. Brandon(D. Finlayson), L. Smith(S. May), R. Muirhead(A. Shinnie), M. Tait, C. Montano( T. Yengi), D. Wilson Subs: J. Hamilton, M. Clarke, R. McAleer, T. Yengi, S. May, D. Finlayson, M. Nottingham, A. Shinnie, S. Lawal Manager: D. Martindale Partick Thistle: D. Mitchell, S. Bannigan(L. Dolan), B. Graham, L. Chalmers, S. Lawless, R. Crawford, L. McBeth, D. O’Reilly, A. Fitzpatrick (A. Jakubiak), B. Stanway(Z. MacKenzie), K. Megwa Subs: L. Budinauckas, L. Cameron, A. Jakubiak, Z. MacKenzie, M. Falconer, N. Lockhart, L. Rooney, L. Dolan, J. Low Manager: M. Wilson/ B. Graham Referee: Kevin Clancy