IT MIGHT not have been error free or even a particularly composed performance, but there was no questioning both the desire and the resolve among the Hibernian players on Saturday to make amends for those individual mistakes which have cost the side so dearly in recent weeks.
Having gifted goals to Darren Mackie and Zander Diamond on a day when manager Jimmy Calderwood acknowledged Aberdeen fell short of the recent high standard they have set themselves on the road, it said much for the backbone of this Hibs' sid
e that they clawed a point from the game thanks to goals from Rob Jones and Steven Fletcher.
According to Fletcher, who scrambled a point with the final kick of the ball, the decision to switch formations from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 probably worked well enough to merit further consideration. However, it was the spirit shown by the players, rather than any tinkering with tactics, which salvaged a draw against the odds.
"Of course, it was great to score so late on, but I didn't think we deserved to be losing at that stage," observed the Scotland striker, who expects to miss the friendly against Argentina because of an ankle injury. "We played well in the match only to lose silly goals from set-pieces. The way we came back from 2-0 showed the character in the side.
"We have three strikers at the club who want to play week in, week out. It was unfortunate for Colin Nish that he had to drop out when the manager went with 4-4-2. I thought the system worked well, so we will just have to see what the gaffer is going to do (next]. The league is very tight and if you win a game or two you can move up."
Ironically, having started with two holding midfielders – Steven Thicot and Ross Chisholm – in a far more measured line-up, it was the arrival of the cavalry in the last ten minutes when Jones joined Fletcher, Riordan and Nish (an 80th-minute substitute) up front which saved the day for the home side.
Jones, who was irked by erroneous reports that he missed the game at Tannadice because of an alleged fall-out with manager Mixu Paatelainen – "I spent all day in hospital with my 11-day- old son, so I was disgusted with what was printed" – didn't shirk responsibility for the error which led to Aberdeen's opening goal.
Even though Hibs had more of the ball before the interval and created a couple of shooting opportunities for Riordan and Dean Shiels, they fell on their own sword when Sone Aluko swept over a free-kick from the right. Jones inexplicably stooped and let the ball fly over his head. Andy McNeil thought about coming off his line, but changed his mind.
Amidst the dithering, Mackie timed his run into the six yard box to score the simplest of headed goals. As if that act of generosity was not enough to be going on with, Hibs repeated the error after the break when Aluko's corner eluded all their markers and Diamond steered the ball past McNeil with a powerful header.
"At the first goal, I can hold up my hands," Jones said. "I should have headed the ball. I was disappointed with myself, because we were in control of the game and allowed them to go 2-0 up."
Although they ended up hurling the kitchen sink at Aberdeen in search of an equaliser, there was a more compact shape about Hibs for much of this match, which improved the balance of the side. The return to a four-man midfield was prudent and might have paid a dividend had the level of concentration at set-pieces not remained woefully slack. Both Aberdeen goals were the result of free headers from inside the six-yard box which most competent defences would have expected to clear without fuss. Given how much energy and passion Hibs put into salvaging a point from what became an entertaining duel – Aluko might have won a penalty for the visitors had he not stayed on his feet when Alan O'Brien appeared to foul the forward inside the box – it must have been galling for Paatelainen to watch his defenders continue to make life difficult for themselves.
On the other hand, the determination of Jones and his team-mates to make amends for unforced errors ensured a grandstand finish. Hibs pushed forward in numbers and produced a stirring act of defiance. "Given the run we're on at the moment, we could have crumbled," reflected the captain. "The spirit during the last half an hour was unbelievable."
Jones delivered Hibs' first goal himself, bravely putting his head to Riordan's corner. "When I make mistakes, I try to eradicate them," he said. By the time another Riordan corner in the third minute of time added on for injury reached John Rankin, his low, driven shot created havoc in Aberdeen's six-yard box. Sol Bamba couldn't quite force the ball into the net, but Fletcher sclaffed it off the post and over the line. It was no more than Hibs deserved.
The full article contains 880 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
