Hibs came from behind to secure a share of the points against St Johnstone in Perth this afternoon.
Neil Lennon made four changes from the starting XI that drew with Molde FK on Thursday night as Emerson Hyndman, Jamie Maclaren, Oli Shaw and Steven Whittaker replaced David Gray, Vykintas Slivka, Marvin Bartley and Florian Kamberi.New signing Daryl Horgan was listed amongst the substitutes.
Both team had early chances then the 13th minute Martin Boyle’s cut back found Jamie Maclaren but his shot was cleared off the line by Steven Anderson and Lewis Stevenson fired the rebound wide of the post.
St Johnstone took the lead against the run of play in the 22nd minute when former Hearts’ winger Tony Watt’s cross took a wicked deflection off Ryan Porteous to beat Hibs’ keeper Ross Laidlaw.
Laidlaw then did well to Drey Wright and Zander Clarke produced a fine save from Boyle as play raged from end to end.
Anderson cleared a Stevie Mallan off the line before Laidlaw kept Hibs in the game with a sensational save from former Hibs’ winger Mattie Kennedy.
Hibs were denied a penalty just before the break when Anderson appeared to pull back MacLaren inside the box, but referee Willie Collum waved away their appeals.
Hibs equaliser arrived in the 50th minute when Shaw headed home form close range after a cross from Boyle.
Mallan and Boyle both went close as Hibs were in the ascendancy and substitute Horgan almost opened his account with a fine strike which was deflected just over the bar.
At the other end former Hibs’ captain Liam Craig went lose with a header from Richard Foster’s cross.
With 12 minutes remaining Stevenson fired inches wide after some excellent patient team play for Hibs then moments later Efe Ambrose produced a superb block to deny Blair Alston and the game ended all square.
Hibs now travel to Norway in midweek for the second leg of their Europa league third qualifying tie against Molde before facing Ross County next Sunday in the Betfred League Cup last 16.
St Johnstone: Clark, Tanser, Alston, Anderson (Gordon 60’), Wright (Wotherspoon 86’), Davidson, Kerr, Foster, Craig, Watt (McMillan 90’), Kennedy. Substitutes not used: Mitchell, McCann, McClean, Scougall.
Hibernian: Laidlaw, Whittaker, Hanlon, Maclaren (Kamberi 63’), Boyle, Stevenson, Hyndman (Horgan 63’), Mallan, Ambrose, Shaw (Swanson 85’), Porteous. Substitutes not used: Dabrowski, Gray, Bartley, Slivka.
Referee: William Collum.
Attendance: 4,367.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
