A deflected injury-time strike from double goal hero Elie Youan saw Hibs clinch a point in their final game before the midseason shutdown, the winger’s equaliser well beyond the 90 regulation minutes earning Nick Montgomery’s men a 2-2 draw with Motherwell at Easter Road. On an afternoon when it looked as if Hibs were destined to turning a winning position into a painful loss, Youan’s contribution proved vital.
He scored a superb opener just before the half-hour mark, only to see Theo Blair cancel that out. A Bevis Mugabe header from a free-kick after 62 minutes put the Steelmen into the lead.
But Youan pounced to help Hibs avoid suffering a third successive loss, as Monty’s undermanned and understrength unit managed to snatch a result that will take them into the winter break feeling more satisfied. If completely aware of their desperate need for reinforcements.
Harry McKirdy being called up to serve as a substitute was one sign of the personnel crisis suddenly thrust upon Hibs, with the departure of key players on international duty – added to a lengthy injury list – leaving Montgomery with few options. McKirdy, who underwent heart surgery in the summer, hasn’t even been back in full training with Hibs, yet managed a brief late cameo here. With Rory Whittaker starting at right back and five more Development Squad prospects on the bench, the underlying message was clear.
Yet there was sufficient quality, certainly in the starting XI, to give the home side a stranglehold on this contest from the outset. Against visitors content to sit in and hit on the break, Monty’s men were allowed to switch play and probe for openings. It just took them a little while to find a way through the massed Motherwell ranks, although both Christian Doidge and Dylan Levitt had already tested Liam Kelly with sharp shots on goal from clever corner kick routines before Youan grabbed the opener.
The winger deserves enormous credit for finishing off an attack that had involved Joe Newell and young Whittaker sending their team-mate running into the Motherwell box. Youan dazzled a pair of defenders with his slaloming shimmy before beating Kelly with a low strike.
Motherwell managed to get themselves back on level terms fairly quickly. Thanks to an equally impressive goal. If Montgomery and his coaching staff can’t be expected to agree, there was much to admire in Bair’s one-two with Mike Biereth, a bit of skill capped by a thundering close-range finish.
Even the most generous members of the Hibs camp couldn’t find anything to like about the goal that put the visitors ahead. Let’s just note that three Motherwell players all got a head to the ball – Mugabe’s the last and most telling – without a home player managing to get a touch on a fairly standard free-kick into the box.
Rudi Molotnikov added energy to the team when he was given a run out, while fellow substitute Lewis Stevenson crashed a shot off the crossbar. But it was Youan who made the difference, fizzing in a low strike that deflected off Mugabe and beyond Kelly.
1. GK David Marshall 6/10
Solid in his distribution. Nothing he could do about either goal. Photo: Alan Harvey - SNS Group
2. RB Rory Whittaker 5/10
Limped off just after the hour mark, replaced by Lewis Stevenson. Another solid shift for 16-year-old.
3. CB Will Fish 5/10
Always looks comfortable on ball. But playing centre-half in a team that keeps conceding bad goals. Photo: Mark Scates - SNS Group
4. CB Paul Hanlon 5/10
Very much like his central defensive partner, he’s implicated by association in the goals-against column.