3rd March 2020 Hibs v Hearts 1-3
Tonight was an important match for Hearts. After their cup victory over Rangers on Saturday they were returning to league business against Hibs in a local derby at Easter Road. The sides have been drawn to face each other in the cup semi-finals but for Hearts tonights league encounter was probably as, if not more, important. They badly needed to follow up their cup victory with another win tonight to take them of the bottom of the league table and away from the threat of relegation. I left home at 18.15 to walk down to Easter Road and arrived outside the ground at around 19.10. As normal no programme sellers were in evidence at the away end of Easter Road but I had already arranged to have a copy sent to me direct to the printer. Security was ridiculous with police examining tickets at a first set of barriers and them security staff doing body searches on all fans at a second. I must have an honest face as I was let through the second barriers without a search being carried out. After entering the ground I bought a coffee to warm me up after the walk and then headed to my seat. I was in Row CC in the Upper Tier of the South Stand. The seat was just above a walkway and offered a good view of the pitch. Just before kick-off two guys came in and took the seats to my left. One of them was carrying an Irish flag with Michael Smith and No Surrender emblazoned on it. The stewards would not allow him to hang it over the wall at the front of the stand so he ended up hanging over the barrier between the seats and the walkway. I do not like seeing this type of banner at Hearts matches given the sectarian connotations of the wording.
Hearts made two changes from Saturday's starting line-up. Clevid Dikamona continued in defence after replacing the injured John Souttar early in the game. More surprisingly Liam Boyce replaced captain Steven Naismith up front. I feel that Naismith is worth his place in the side purely for his influence and encouragement for his team-mates but maybe Daniel Stendel felt he needed a break given his history with injuries. Hibs are in a good run of form under former Hearts coach, Jack Ross. Their main threat is up front with strikers Chisrian Doidge and Marc McNulty in good scoring form. They are supplied by the electric pace of Martin Boyle who scored both Hibs goals in their win at Tynecastle in December and Hearts defence would need to mark him closely.
The game started slowly and the first chance fell to Hibs after Boyle made a run down the right and sent a cross into the box. Doidge got to the ball first but his header did not trouble ‘Bobby’ Zlamal in the Harts goal as it flew post his post. Bozanic then whipped in a free-kick from the right. Craig Halkett met the ball with his head and Hibs keeper Ofir Marciiano did well to push the ball away. Hibs Marc McNulty was lucky to escape a red card after he stood on a grounded Sean Clare as the ball went out for a throw-in. I confess that I did not see this incident as I had looked away when the ball went out of play but television pictures clearly showed McNulty standing on the prone Clare. Hearts were defending well with Halkett and Dikamona dominating the Hibs twin strikers Doidge and McNulty. This meant that both hearts full-backs Michael Smith and Aaron Hickey had the confidence to get forward and support the central midfield of Bozanic and Moore allowing Clare and Lewis Moore to attack His down the flanks. Boyce came close with a near post header from a Bozanic corner just before the half-time whistle.
If the first half was a case of both sides testing each other out the second half was a different story. Hearts came close when Boyce received the ball on the left hand side inside the Hips penalty area he held the well up and feinted a couple of times before finding space to cross towards Clare at the far post. Hibs Paul Hanlon got to the ball first to clear for a fruitless corner. Hearts took the lead in fifty-three minutes. Clare forced a corner after his shot was deflected wide of a Hibs defender. Moore's corner found the leaping Clare and his header was deflected of the upraised elbow of the challenging Lewis Allan. Referee Kevin Clancy awarded a penalty and Clare grabbed the ball to take the kick. He ran towards the penalty spot with a jinking run and shot low past the diving Marciano into the right hand of keepers net. The South Stand behind the goal went berserk as the ball hit the net. Hearts went two ahead in sixty-five minutes. Hickey and Moore linked well on the left and Hickey's pass sent Moore into the Hibs penalty area on the left. He cut the ball back beyond the eighteen yard line where Bozanic curled a first time shot into the top right of Marciano's goal with a superb finish. The guy sitting next to me had already removed his jacket but now took of his shirt and jumped onto the walkway to celebrate bare chested. Everyone was celebrating but I did feel that removing a shirt was a bit much on a cold March evening. For the remainder of the match no one in the South Stand was sitting as the other stands began to empty rapidly with disappointed Hips fans leaving. The icing on the cake came in eighty minutes when Conor Washington beat the offside trap to run on to a superb Hickey pas down the left. He cut into the penalty box as two defenders closed in and from about twelve yards fired low past Marciano for an unbeatable lead. Hibs pulled a goal back injury time when substitute Jamie Gullan ran down the right and pulled the ball back to Greg Doherty about eight yards from goal. His shot beat Zlamal but was cleared from near the goal line by Damour. Unfortunately the ball fell to Melker Hallberg who shot high into the net from eight yards. Hearts however could have had a fourth deep into injury time when their three substitutes combined. Euan Henderson broke into the Hibs penalty area on the left. He pulled the ball back towards the middle of the box. Jamie Walker dummied the ball which fell to Naismith about fourteen yards out. His shot flew high over the bar when it seemed easier to score.
Th final whistle went and as Hearts players and fans celebrated the three Hibs stands emptied quickly. I headed out of the ground and walked up to London Road. There was a 26 bus at the stop which I caught to Haymarket and was home by 22.15 after an excellent ninety minutes entertainment although given how the season has gone it could be said that this was about time too !
Teams
Hibs: Marciano, Hanlon, McGinn, Doidge, Boyle, McNulty, Docherty, Stevenson, Jackson, Allan, Omeonga.
Subs: Gullan, Horgan, Hallberg
Hearts: Zlamal, Smith, Hickey, Dikamona, Bozanic, Halkett, Clare, Damour, Washington, Boyce, Moore.
Subs: Naismith, Walker, Henderson.
The game started slowly and the first chance fell to Hibs after Boyle made a run down the right and sent a cross into the box. Doidge got to the ball first but his header did not trouble ‘Bobby’ Zlamal in the Harts goal as it flew post his post. Bozanic then whipped in a free-kick from the right. Craig Halkett met the ball with his head and Hibs keeper Ofir Marciiano did well to push the ball away. Hibs Marc McNulty was lucky to escape a red card after he stood on a grounded Sean Clare as the ball went out for a throw-in. I confess that I did not see this incident as I had looked away when the ball went out of play but television pictures clearly showed McNulty standing on the prone Clare. Hearts were defending well with Halkett and Dikamona dominating the Hibs twin strikers Doidge and McNulty. This meant that both hearts full-backs Michael Smith and Aaron Hickey had the confidence to get forward and support the central midfield of Bozanic and Moore allowing Clare and Lewis Moore to attack His down the flanks. Boyce came close with a near post header from a Bozanic corner just before the half-time whistle.
If the first half was a case of both sides testing each other out the second half was a different story. Hearts came close when Boyce received the ball on the left hand side inside the Hips penalty area he held the well up and feinted a couple of times before finding space to cross towards Clare at the far post. Hibs Paul Hanlon got to the ball first to clear for a fruitless corner. Hearts took the lead in fifty-three minutes. Clare forced a corner after his shot was deflected wide of a Hibs defender. Moore's corner found the leaping Clare and his header was deflected of the upraised elbow of the challenging Lewis Allan. Referee Kevin Clancy awarded a penalty and Clare grabbed the ball to take the kick. He ran towards the penalty spot with a jinking run and shot low past the diving Marciano into the right hand of keepers net. The South Stand behind the goal went berserk as the ball hit the net. Hearts went two ahead in sixty-five minutes. Hickey and Moore linked well on the left and Hickey's pass sent Moore into the Hibs penalty area on the left. He cut the ball back beyond the eighteen yard line where Bozanic curled a first time shot into the top right of Marciano's goal with a superb finish. The guy sitting next to me had already removed his jacket but now took of his shirt and jumped onto the walkway to celebrate bare chested. Everyone was celebrating but I did feel that removing a shirt was a bit much on a cold March evening. For the remainder of the match no one in the South Stand was sitting as the other stands began to empty rapidly with disappointed Hips fans leaving. The icing on the cake came in eighty minutes when Conor Washington beat the offside trap to run on to a superb Hickey pas down the left. He cut into the penalty box as two defenders closed in and from about twelve yards fired low past Marciano for an unbeatable lead. Hibs pulled a goal back injury time when substitute Jamie Gullan ran down the right and pulled the ball back to Greg Doherty about eight yards from goal. His shot beat Zlamal but was cleared from near the goal line by Damour. Unfortunately the ball fell to Melker Hallberg who shot high into the net from eight yards. Hearts however could have had a fourth deep into injury time when their three substitutes combined. Euan Henderson broke into the Hibs penalty area on the left. He pulled the ball back towards the middle of the box. Jamie Walker dummied the ball which fell to Naismith about fourteen yards out. His shot flew high over the bar when it seemed easier to score.
Th final whistle went and as Hearts players and fans celebrated the three Hibs stands emptied quickly. I headed out of the ground and walked up to London Road. There was a 26 bus at the stop which I caught to Haymarket and was home by 22.15 after an excellent ninety minutes entertainment although given how the season has gone it could be said that this was about time too !
Teams
Hibs: Marciano, Hanlon, McGinn, Doidge, Boyle, McNulty, Docherty, Stevenson, Jackson, Allan, Omeonga.
Subs: Gullan, Horgan, Hallberg
Hearts: Zlamal, Smith, Hickey, Dikamona, Bozanic, Halkett, Clare, Damour, Washington, Boyce, Moore.
Subs: Naismith, Walker, Henderson.
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