Bonnyrigg Rose 1, Hibs 4: Henderson and Newell at the double as Hibs return to winning ways


Aiden McGeady missed a first-half penalty but it was always comfortable for Hibs who might have won by a greater scoreline had it not been for Mark Weir in the Bonnyrigg goal.
Lee Johnson went with a strong starting XI after Tuesday night’s defeat by Falkirk, with plenty of experiences in all areas of the pitch.
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Hide AdDavid Marshall returned in goals with Chris Cadden, Ewan Henderson, and Ryan Porteous restored to the starting line-up after being named on the bench against the Bairns.
Nohan Kenneh was also brought back in to beef up the midfield.
Hibs got off to the perfect start, Newell’s driven shot beating Mark Weir and nestling in the far corner but it was the hosts who threatened next, George Hunter’s footwork foxing the Hibs defence and the striker was perhaps unlucky to find his path to goal blocked.
McGeady was next to threaten but his shot from distance cannoned off a defender. The veteran attacker had a chance to double Hibs’ advantage from the penalty spot moments later following a foul on Christian Doidge but screwed his spot-kick wide.
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Hide AdThe remainder of the first half was largely one-way traffic in the direction of Dundas Street.
Chris Cadden headed over from a Lewis Stevenson cross and Elias Melkersen was inches away from connecting with a low McGeady cross from the right.
The Norwegian forward then attempted an audacious overhead kick but Weir pulled off two smart stops in quick succession to keep the Rosey Posey in the game and frustrate Hibs.
A medical incident in the crowd caused the game to be stopped for six or seven minutes while a supporter received treatment, and after the restart Hibs extended their lead as Ewan Henderson finished past Weir.
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Hide AdFrom the restart the League Two side pulled one back, Kevin Smith’s deft chip taking David Marshall by surprise and throwing Rose a lifeline.
But Hibs repeated the feat as Newell grabbed his second, poking home from close range on the whistle to bring to an end a breathless end to the first period.
Lee Johnson’s side began the second half in much the same way as they had finished the first, but despite dominating they were unable to breach Weir’s goal in the first 15 minutes of the second period.
Shortly after the hour mark the game was halted again for another medical emergency in the crowd as the high temperatures took a toll.
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Hide AdJohnson made four changes at the restart with Momodou Bojang making his debut and Josh Campbell, Kyle McClelland and Lewis Miller entering the fray in place of McGeady, Cadden, Porteous, and Stevenson, with Newell shifted to left-back as he had against Falkirk.
Bojang came close to a debut goal with an effort from an acute angle but Josh Grigor did well to clear the danger.
With time running out Newell collected the ball from Melkersen and his cross reached Henderson who composed himself before curling an effort into the top left-hand corner.