Hibs unbeaten league run ended with a 2-1 defeat to Ross County in Dingwall tonight.
Jack Ross made one change to the starting XI that drew with Kilmarnock on Saturday with Martin Boyle replacing Joe Newell.
Hibs dominated the first half and Florian Kamberi missed a great chance to open the scoring before ex-County full-back Jason Naismith struck the bar with a powerful strike.
Christian Doidge then went close with a header before Chris Maxwell did well to deny former Hibee Brian Graham.
Hibs opening the scoring in the 35th minute after Doidge latched onto a Scott Allan free-kick to head the ball past County keeper Nathan Baxter for his seventh goal in five games.
Moments later Ryan Porteous was booked for a foul on Josh Mullin which resulted in the County player landing in the Hibs’ dugout area.
Ross County fought back after the break and equalised in the 65th minute after Hibs’ keeper Maxwell misjudged a cross from Mullen allowing Ross Stewart to head the ball into the empty net.
Ten minutes later the Staggies took the lead when Paul Hanlon was unable to clear a deflected cross and Stewart was on hand to head the ball into the net from 10-yards.
Hibs tried hard to get back into the game and Doidge fired wide from close range before Baxter did well to stop substitute Stevie Mallan’s powerful strike.
After the game Ross told BBC Scotland: “It’s hugely frustrating. We’ve been in a winning position twice in the past four days, so there are fine margins at the moment that we need to improve upon. We need to be more resilient from that position.
“The intensity we showed for the final 15 minutes was missing for the first part of the second half and that’s where we need to get better.”
Ross County: Baxter, Foster, Morris, Fontaine, Kelly, Mullin, Spence, Paton, Gardyne, Graham, Stewart. Substitutes: Laidlaw, Fraser, Erwin, McKay, Watson, Henderson, Spittal
Hibs: Maxwell, Naismith, Porteous, Hanlon, Stevenson, Slivka, Hallberg, Boyle, Allan, Kamberi, Doidge. Substitutes Marciano, Whittaker, Horgan, Mallan, James, Jackson, Shaw
Referee David Munro
Attendance 4,196.
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.
