Hibernian 4-0 Livingston: Gray’s Men Banish Derby Demons with Dominant Victory

Hibernian 4 – 0 Livingston Klidje (9′) McGrath (52′ pen) Hoilett (79′, 89′) A Thibault Klidje-inspired Hibs recorded their first home league win of the season against Livingston. Livingston won the first corner of the game, but it was Hibs who produced the first chance of the match. Kieron Bowie found Nicky Cadden in space on the left of the box, but the wingback blazed over. A stray pass allowed Josh Mulligan to unleash a deflected shot moments later, as Hibs continued their search for an opener. Klidje gave Hibs a deserved lead in the 10th minute. A smart touch allowed the attacker to race into the box from Daniel Barlaser’s pass. The record signing fired a right-footed strike into the roof of Jerome Prior’s net for a prolific finish. Klidje showcased electric pace in the 13th minute, rampaging onto a loose ball, but his shot lacked power as Prior easily gathered. Hibs boss David Gray had urged his side to deliver a “reaction” after the devastating Edinburgh derby defeat two weeks ago, and would have been pleased with his side’s intent on their return to Easter Road. The home side almost doubled their lead in the 20th minute. Warren O’Hora kept a corner alive at the back post, but Grant Hanley could not bundle home in the six-yard box. The visitors were forced into an early change moments later, as Blaney walked off to be replaced by Andy Winter. Stevie May led the line with some clever touches, helping his side gain territory on several occasions. Still, it was proving to be a difficult opening period for Davie Martindale’s team. Bowie threatened to add his fourth league goal of the season in the 23rd minute, connecting in the box with a right-footed volley which whistled past the post. Klidje continued to cause terror for the Livingston backline. Captain for the day, Danny Wilson misjudged a looping ball in the 34th minute, but the Togolese striker dragged wide from the acute angle. He dispossessed the Livingston defence again in the 38th minute, playing an incisive ball for Cadden in the box. Once more, the wing-back lacked the necessary composure and blazed over Prior’s goal. Connor McLennan had a chance to bring Livingston level after a corner kick routine, but his strike went high into the Famous Five Stand from May’s cutback. Despite holding a halftime lead, Gray would be keen for his side to add to their lead, with Hibs already losing four points from winning positions this season. Jamie McGrath has enjoyed a positive start to his Hibs career since a summer move from Aberdeen. His chest and volley from the edge of the box had to be tipped over by Prior. McGrath was involved again moments later, playing a reversed ball to Barlaser, whose left-footed strike was palmed away. Klidje was dragged down in the Livingston box in the 50th minute, as Hibs were awarded a penalty. McGrath made no mistake, rolling past Prior for a deserved second goal. May cleared Grant Hanley’s towering header off the line in the 53rd minute, as the home side continued to threaten. The Hibees have drawn five of their opening seven league matches, but looked set to record a league victory for the first time since August 2nd. There was a bite about the home side, regularly dispossessing a ragged Livingston side for much of the 90 minutes. Despite the dominance, an uncomfortable moment occurred in the 63rd minute, as a rare Livingston corner dropped in the six-yard box. Thankfully, for the home support, the ball was swiftly cleared. Robbie Muirhead produced a terrific 35-yard strike as the visitors looked to respond. Raphael Sallinger had to be alert to push the ball away. Junior Hoilett headed home in the 79th minute and sidefooted a fourth Hibs goal ten minutes later to banish any thought of a Livingston comeback. It had been a comfortable afternoon for the Leith side, who moved into 3rd place in the Scottish Premiership. They travel to Pittodrie next Sunday to face Aberdeen, whilst Livingston will look to bounce back against Motherwell the day before. Hibernian: Sallinger 7 O’Hora 7 Hanley 7 Iredale 7 C Cadden 7 Mulligan 7 Barlaser 7 McGrath 8 N Cadden 7 Bowie 7 Klidje 8 Substitutes: Boyle 7 Hoilett 7 Chaiwa 6 Campbell 5 Livingston: Prior 6 Finlayson 6 Sylla 6 Wilson 5 Blaney 5 Montgomery 6 Pittman 6 Susoho 6 McLennan 6 May 6 Bokila 5 Substitutes: Winter 6 Muirhead 5 Tait 5 Montano 5 Shinnie 5

Hibernian v Livingston Match Preview

Hibernian host Livingston at Easter Road on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership. Recent Form The Easter Road side will be fully focused on bouncing back from a frustrating 1-0 defeat to city rivals Hearts at Tynecastle before the international break. Craig Halkett’s stoppage-time winner meant Hibs tasted defeat for the first time this campaign. Before that, they had drawn their previous five games. A slow start to domestic proceedings has left the Leith outfit sitting seventh in the Premiership table, with eight points from seven matches. David Gray’s men have endured a difficult opening to their league run, with their only victory of the season so far coming on the opening day — a 2-1 win away to Dundee at Dens Park. On their return to the top flight, Livingston sit ninth in the Premiership, having picked up six points from eight matches. The West Lothian side have played a game more than their opponents this afternoon — registering one win, drawing three and losing four in their eight league encounters. Livingston have found themselves on the wrong end of stoppage-time defeats against Hearts, Dundee and Rangers this season. Before the international break, Livingston earned a 1-1 draw against Jim Goodwin’s Dundee United at Tannadice. Scott Pittman fired the visitors ahead in the first half before Dundee United centre-back Krisztián Keresztes levelled matters in the second. Previous Meetings The two sides also met in the Premier Sports Cup round of 16 back in August at the Home of the Set Fare Arena. Hibs ran out convincing 2-0 winners on the day, courtesy of goals from Thibault Klidjé and Josh Mulligan. Team News David Gray is expected to have a fully fit squad, except midfielders Alasana Manneh and Joe Newell. Miguel Chaiwa and Elie Youan will return from their respective injuries. Joe Newell is edging closer to a return following a long-term layoff; however, this game will come too soon for the 32-year-old. Livingston are hopeful of registering Curaçao international Joshua Brenet in time for this one. The full-back joined the club as a free agent. Meanwhile, Cristian Montano, Cammy Kerr and Aidan Denholm are all close to returning to action.

Gray “Looking for Reaction” as Hibs Face Livingston

After a last-minute derby defeat two weeks ago, David Gray has urged his side to “hit the ground running” after the latest international break. Speaking on Hibernian’s YouTube Channel, Gray admits that the break was “a bit of a reset” and acknowledges that Saturday’s opponents will be a test for his squad. “The way Davie’s set his team up this season, they’re playing a lot of good stuff, they’re going to be difficult to beat as they always are, but we need to focus on what we can do:” “I’m looking for a reaction clearly, because of what happened in the last game, the amount of time we’ve had to wait to get back on the pitch, but as I’ve said, it’s probably come at a good time from that point of view.” Gray confirmed that Alasana Manneh is the only player out injured, acknowledging that he has “a lot of players to pick from”. Hibs fans will be encouraged by the progress of Joe Newell, the injured club captain hasn’t played since December 2024, but continues to show positive signs. “Joe Newell trained again for the last week, a little bit stop-start with the birth of his son, which is brilliant for him and his family, but again really pleasing to see him back in amongst the group” “he’s still got a lot of work to do because he’s been out for such a long time.” Hibernian sit 7th in the Scottish Premiership, drawing five of their opening seven league matches. Gray’s side will be eager to attain their first home victory of the season, banishing the derby disappointment.

Askou and Motherwell “Focusing on the next job” as League Cup Semi Final Looms

An exciting few weeks await Motherwell, but for manager Jens Berthel Askou, “It’s about Falkirk, first and foremost”. The Steelmen suffered a heartbreaking defeat to champions Celtic before the international break. But despite recording their first league defeat of the campaign, Askou saw the positives from their spirited performance. “Gutted that we went home from Parkhead with no points, but I think the performance and our approach to the game gives us some really good confidence as to how to beat them when we play them next time” “But also it shows that we are capable of being for most of the part successful with our approach against the best team in the league, and then it’s small decisive moments that tips it to their favour and we know exactly it’s easy to see where we need to just improve a little bit, not hugely, but a little bit.” Apostolos Stamatelopoulos’ brace put the visitors ahead after Kelechi Iheanacho’s first-half penalty, but goals from Benjamin Nygren, and a last-minute Daizen Maeda header ensured Motherwell would leave with nothing. Askou referenced the impact of Stamatelopoulos, who now has three goals in two league matches, “It was a great first goal he scored, for me it’s important that if you have a confident line and you want him to score many goals, he needs to be a good penalty taker as well, he scored two out of two, it grows confidence …… and hopefully he will score more goals in time”. Motherwell face St Mirren at Hampden in 16 days for a place in the League Cup Final. The Fir Park side finished top of Group G, before away victories against St Johnstone and Aberdeen, to secure the tie. For Askou, the semi-final is ”not the focus right now”, “We have almost sold 7,000 tickets, which is fantastic, and we will probably sell quite a few more, which is amazing, so a lot of people are looking forward to that.” “We are focusing on the next job that’s on Saturday, obviously, we know it is in the calendar, we are not spending much energy on that now.” Motherwell host Falkirk at Fir Park on Saturday, October 18th, before matches against Livingston and Dundee United, respectively.

Aberdeen Manager Jimmy Thelin in Frame for National Job

Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin is one of the names on the list to take over the Swedish National Team following the departure of head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson.  Jimmy took over the Scottish side last summer, where he took the Dons to Scottish Cup success over Celtic after a 1-1 draw and a penalty victory at the National Stadium. Thelin took Aberdeen on the impressive 11-game unbeaten run, going toe-to-toe with Celtic at the beginning of the last campaign despite the fall off in performances in the winter period. Thelin has also had some big results during his time with a famous win over Eintracht Frankfurt at Pittodrie, as well as wins over rivals, Rangers. Jimmy had racked up an average of 1.52 points per game in his 62 games at Pittodrie so far as he made a statement in his time for far in the Granite City. However, this season Jimmy hasn’t had an amazing season, only having one win on the board this campaign, with the win coming over Dundee last week. The Dons sit rock bottom, but momentum could be set to build following the win at Pittodrie last weekend. The Dons are currently in the UEFA Conference League following FCSB dumping the Dons out of the Europa League. The Dons will also miss out on a spot in the League Cup Semifinals with Motherwell knocking the Red Army out.

Hearts Scoop September Accolades after Impressive Showings

Derek McInnes has been named Manager of the Month for September as his positive tenure continues at Tynecastle. Victories over Rangers and Falkirk consolidated The Jambos’ position at the top of the league, remaining unbeaten in the Scottish Premiership. They recently edged the first Edinburgh Derby of the season to move onto 19 points, two ahead of nearest challengers Celtic. McInnes said, “I love it here, it been a long time for me coming here, I always thought this was a job that I wanted to be at, I’m working with some good people, Graeme Jones and the board, but the players have been first class, in terms of their efforts day in day out, and I think for us we feel that we can be successful here,”. Lawrence Shankland and Alexandros Kyziridis picked up personal accolades, as Hearts swept all of the September awards. Shankland won the player of the month, scoring three goals in two games, including a crucial brace against Rangers. The captain scored in each half, firing Hearts to their first victory over Rangers in 19 attempts, and their first Ibrox triumph since 2014. He also drilled a low strike under Scott Bain two weeks later, as part of a comfortable 3-0 home victory over Falkirk. Kyziridis is turning into a fan favourite in Gorgie and has started Hearts’ last three league matches since his injury-time winner over Livingston. He scooped up the September goal of the month award for a stunning strike against Falkirk. The Greek winger cut in off the left, beating several Falkirk bodies before unleashing an arrowing right-footed strike into the top corner. It was a strike worthy of winning goal of the season, and opened the scoring for McInnes’ men. The Jambos return to league action on Saturday evening, travelling to East Ayrshire to face Kilmarnock. Eight days later, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic visit Tynecastle in a potential top-of-the-table clash.

A Look Into Aberdeen’s Youth Setup

Aberdeen have had many players who have gone on to achieve big success and big moves in recent years, down to the youth academy at Pittodrie. Players like Scott McKenna, who came up through the youth academy and became a first-team regular at Pittodrie, made a big move to Premier League outfit Nottingham Forrest. The defender had a loan move at Danish side FC Copenhagen before joining Las Palmas, where he then went on to join Dinamo Zagreb, where the defender currently plays. Calvin Ramsay was the Dons’ record fee received for a player, which sits at £6.5million went down to join English big guns, Liverpool. Unfortunately, due to injuries, the right back has failed to make it into the Liverpool squad with having loan spells with Wigan and Kilmarnock. Ryan Fraser, who started up in the Granite City, departed the North East side in 2013, making a move to Bournemouth, where he has played on many occasions in England’s elite league. The winger is currently playing in the English Championship with Southampton. Most recently, Fletcher Boyd, who spent 8 years in the Aberdeen youth system after signing from Highland League side Deveronvale, has joined Aston Villa. The teenager scored twice right at the death of the 23/24 campaign, scoring late against both Hibernian and Livingston. The youth side has won silverware already this season, defeating Highland League side, Formartine United, on penalties following a 2-2 draw, claiming the first Evening Express trophy since 2004. The U-18s won their respective league title in 2024 after a 3-2 victory over Celtic in a fixture that the win secured the success in front of a packed out Main Stand at Pittodrie. This entered the youth side into the European stage, where they were drawn with Puskas Academy of Hungary. The first leg didn’t go to plan in front of a noisy and packed Red Shed as the visitors secured a comfortable 5-1 lead to take back over to Hungary with Puskas finishing up the tie, winning 8-1 on aggregate after a 3-0 win in Hungary. Aberdeen currently have many Cooperative agreements with clubs for loans of youngsters. Cooper Mason, Joseph Teasdale and Lewis Carrol, all at Kelty Hearts who are all progressing well with the League One side. Aberdeen also have an agreement with Elgin City, with Dylan Ross, Noah McDonnell, and Jamie Mercer all joining the League Two side. The young dons have been playing in the KDM Evolution trophy but have yet to pick up any wins, but have looked promising at times. They have suffered defeats to Peterhead, Inverness, Montrose, Forfar, as well as a draw with Elgin City, most recently. The young dons are in Scottish Youth Cup action on the 24th October, where they’ll welcome Dunbar United to Cormack Park. They will also meet Huntly at Christie Park in the Aberdeenshire Shield three days before.

Scotland Guaranteed World Cup Playoff After Denmark Defeat Greece

Denmark’s 3-1 victory over Greece ensures Scotland will finish at least second in Group C, securing a playoff to next year’s World Cup. Victory for the Danes promoted them to the summit of Group C on ten points, with a favourable goal difference. Steve Clarke’s side also sits on ten points in second place, seven ahead of Greece with two qualifiers to play. The insurmountable advantage offers some optimism for the Tartan Army, following a fairly abject showing against Belarus on Sunday evening. Steve Clarke admitted he was “really disappointed” in his side’s performance, acknowledging that they can operate on a much higher level than they showed. While the playoff has been secured, full attention will now turn to the final international break of the year. Scotland face a Greek side hungry for revenge following their 3-1 to Clarke’s side last week. The final group match could see a ‘winner takes all’ showdown between Scotland and Denmark at Hampden Park.

Scotland 2-1 Belarus: Scots Move Top of Group C After Tense Encounter

Scotland 2 – 1 Belarus Gilmour (15′) McTominay (84′) Kuchko (90+6′) A late Scott McTominay strike helped to edge Scotland past Belarus in a nervy qualification tie at Hampden Park. Belarus subdued the Hampden crowd after a bright start. German Barkovski beat the offside trap, but his flashed ball had no takers, with Scotland defending the resulting corner. Pavel Zabelin’s powerful header narrowly missed as the visitors continued to grow into the game. Steve Clarke’s team looked disjointed but started to find a rhythm after ten minutes. Che Adams cut his shot wide after a Billy Gilmour through ball, as they searched for an opening goal That goal arrived in the 15th minute. Jack Hendry found Adams in the box, who showed composure to turn and drill a left-footed strike into the bottom corner. A VAR check confirmed the goal to stand, allowing Hampden to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Ben Gannon-Doak impressed against Belarus last month and had started his latest appearance in a similar fashion. He beat Zabelin with a stepover in the 20th minute, but found the side netting when he perhaps should have squared to the onrushing John McGinn. Yevgeny Malashevich blazed high over Angus Gunn’s bar as the Belarusians looked to reply to the Scottish pressure. Gannon-Doak continued to torment Zabelin after 27 minutes, but his cutback to Scott McTominay was nullified by the visiting defence. VAR moved off a penalty shout after a flowing Scottish move, as the home side looked for a second goal. With only a slender advantage, Clark would be keen for his side to build on Adams’ left-footed strike. Gannon-Doak tested Fedor Lapoukhov with a stinging strike on the stroke of halftime, continuing as Scotland’s bright spark in a flat opening period. The homeside started the second half with endeavour. Kenny McLean scuffed a shot  wide, and Scott McTominay stung Lapoukhov’s palms as the hunt for the second goal continued. Gannon-Doak drove at the Belarus defence in the 53rd minute, squaring for McGinn whose rasping shot was pushed wide by Lapoukhov. Referee Marian Barbu had two massive refereeing calls shortly after the hour mark. First, he denied the home side a penalty, waving away claims after an apparent handball by Adams in the box. Moments later, he disallowed a Belarus goal, ruling that McTominay had been fouled in the build-up. The second incident, in particular, served as a harsh reality check for Steve Clarke’s side. Despite their lead, the initial ‘goal’ signalled they would need to solidify their performance to secure all three points. Adams bundled a Gannon-Doak cross into the net after 70 minutes, but VAR was once again forced to intervene as the striker had taken up an offside position. Belarus, buoyed by their disallowed goal, grew into the game, to the disdain of the home support. The visitors had conceded 13 goals in their opening 3 qualifying games, but were making matters awkward for Scotland. A welcome second goal arrived in the 84th minute. Andy Robertson’s left-footed cross found its way to McTominay in the six-yard box, who finished clinically into the right corner. A subdued celebration by the Napoli talisman signified the frustration of this Scottish performance. They had made this tie far more difficult than it should have been. Belarus pulled a goal back in stoppage time, substitute Gleb Kuchko beat Robertson to the ball and drilled under Gunn, creating a nervy ending at Hampden Park. The full-time whistle temporarily moved Scotland to the top of Group C. Victory for Denmark this evening will confirm a World Cup playoff, but for Steve Clarke, all focus will turn to an away encounter in Greece next month. Scotland: Gunn 6 Ralston 6 Hendry 6 McKenna 6 Robertson 5 Gannon-Doak 7 McLean 6 Gilmour 7 McGinn 6 McTominay 6 Adams 7 Substitutes: Tierney 5 Souttar 5 Miller Dykes Bowie Belarus: Lapoukhov 7 Pigas 6 Parkhomenko 6 Martynovich 6 Zabelin 6 Malashevich 6 Ebonh 6 Yablonski 6 Pechenin 6 Gromyko 6 Barkovski 7 Substitutes: Melnichenko 5 Korzun Kuchko Karpovich Demchenko

Scotland Continue World Cup Journey against Belarus

Scotland welcome Belarus to Hampden Park tonight, aiming to take the next step towards a maiden World Cup appearance in 27 years. Steve Clarke’s men are level on points with Denmark at the top of Group C, and could clinch a playoff spot if both sides record victories this evening. Scotland has two wins and a draw in the opening three group matches, building on their September performances with a 3-1 win over Greece at Hampden Park on Thursday night. Despite a dominant Greek performance, goals from Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson, and Lyndon Dykes secured an unlikely three points, sending Hampden into raptures. Landmark for Clarke Sunday’s clash with Belarus will mark Steve Clarke’s 72nd game in charge of Scotland, surpassing the record set by Craig Brown. Clarke spoke about his time in charge so far. “The brief was to qualify for tournaments. “We’ve done that twice and we want to do it again because we’re all greedy. We’ve put together a strong nucleus that we’ve managed to build upon. That’s what creates the environment because they know each other – and good results help. I’ve got a lot of players I’ve always trusted and have never let me down. It’s that familiarity, but that doesn’t come if you’re not successful because I’d have been out the door if we weren’t.” Belarus Scotland’s opponents, Belarus, sit at the bottom of Group C. Belarus are winless in all three matches of their qualifying campaign so far; they have suffered four straight defeats in a row. Last time out, Belarus fell to their second-biggest loss in the country’s history on Thursday when Denmark ran out 6-0 winners. Team News Full-back Aaron Hickey sustained a knock during Thursday’s match, and Steve Clarke has confirmed he’ll miss out. Midfield duo Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie will also sit this one out due to suspension; the pair both picked up bookings on Thursday. Steve Clarke was quick to add reinforcements to his squad to replace those two. Josh Mulligan of Hibs was handed his first international call-up, whilst Rangers midfielder Connor Barron also earned a call-up.