Aberdeen

Venue: Pittodrie Stadium                                                 Date: 21/12/24                                                            Time: 15:00   Hibernian continued their impressive turnaround to pile further misery on Jimmy Thelin’s Aberdeen as they dropped to third behind Rangers, following a sixth game without a win.  Topi Keskinen opened the scoring as the Dons dominated the opening stages of the game but an error from Rubezic allowed Martin Boyle to tee up Elie Youan to level the score just four minutes later.  Keskinen was unlucky not to double his tally, first after a delicate Leighton Clarkson chip saw unable to untangle himself and finish and not long after when his curling shot from outside the box rattled the post.  An unmarked Nicky Cadden lashed home a second for the visitors by the far post after a pinpoint cross from Boyle.  Defensive mishaps were once again Aberdeen’s undoing in the second half, far too open in the midfield as Boyle, in yet another involvement, was on the end of a Nectarios Triantis pass into space for only his third goal of the season.  The win sees David Gray’s side move of up to a season high eighth place.  Attendance: 18,375 Line-ups:  Aberdeen: R. Doohan, J. MacKenzie, G. Molloy, S. Rubezic, N. Devlin (S. Morris 77’), G. Shinnie (c) (A. Palaversa 77’), S. Heltne Nilsen (Duk 77’), T. Keskinen, L. Clarkson (D. Polvara 59’), J. McGrath, E. Sokler (P. Ambrose 59’) Substitutes: P. Ambrose, Duk, A. MacDonald, J. McGarry, S. Morris, K. Nisbet, A. Palaversa, D. Polvara, T. Ritchie Hibernian: J. Smith, J. Iredale, R. Bushiri, W. O’Hora (L. Miller 51’), N. Cadden, J. Newell (c) (Kwon Hyeok-Kyu 60’), N. Triantis, C. Cadden (J. Obita 88’), J. Campbell, E. Youan, M. Boyle  Substitutes: L. Amos, J. Bursik, D. Gayle, J. Hoilett, Kwon Hyeok-Kyu, D. Levitt, L. Miller, N. Moriah-Welsh, J. Obita  Referee: Steven McLean

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