Daryl Horgan: Hibs blew big chance to kick-start league campaign

Daryl Horgan has admitted he and his team-mates had thrown away the chance to kick-start their season as they surrendered a two-goal lead against basement outfit Dundee to see their winless run stretch to five matches.

Paul McGowan, far right, curls the ball beyond Hibs goalkeeper Adam Bogdan (not pictured) to earn Dundee a point at Easter Road. Pic: SNS

An own goal from Genseric Kusunga after just 40 seconds and a Ryan Porteous header appeared to have put the Easter Road players on the road to victory, but ex-Hibs striker Kenny Miller threw Dundee a lifeline in added-on time at the end of the first half.

And it was one Jim McIntyre’s team grabbed, Paul McGowan silencing the home fans as he hauled the Tayside club level with Hibs unable to conjure up a winner.

The draw lifted Hibs from eighth to seventh in the Ladbrokes Premiership but with Hearts, Aberdeen and Livingston all losing, while the game between St Johnstone and Kilmarnock ended goalless, Horgan conceded it was an opportunity lost.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder said: “We have not dropped any points on them I suppose, but it was an opportunity to kick-start ourselves and put us right back in the middle of that pack.

“We didn’t do it so now we have a massive game next week [away to Kilmarnock] and we have to take the three points. December is a massive month with the number of games next week [away to Kilmarnock] and we have to take the three points. December is a massive month with the number of games we have. It’s not going to be easy, but we have to win more games.”

Inconsistency has been a problem for Hibs boss Neil Lennon and his players but, insisted Horgan, there is a confidence that they can recover their form from earlier in the season, pointing out that the league is so tight a couple of wins can easily improve the outlook.

He said: “We know the quality of the squad, there’s a lot of very good players here. The manager sets us up, we enjoy playing and I suppose it’s enjoyable to watch.

“But we have to be more clinical in both boxes, we weren’t in this one and it’s cost us. It won’t though, take too much to get back in to it. It’s tight from eighth to first or second but we don’t want to be dropping points, especially at home. It was a tough one to take.”