Goal scorer scrapes pass marks in brutal Cup battle - how Hibs rated

Christian Doidge rose above the fray on an afternoon when Hibs seemed determined to plumb the Scottish Cup depths, the Welsh striker’s goal with 22 minutes remaining giving the visitors an ill-deserved win over Forfar at Station Park. In a game where Joe Newell saw a first-half penalty saved, Nick Montgomery’s men returned from the winter shutdown looking sluggish, sloppy and entirely out of sorts.

If few among the 3000 travelling fans will long cherish the memory of this fourth-round tie, however, at least they got the victory needed to progress. For a very long time, that appeared anything but a certainty.

With Rudi Molotnikov making his first start for the senior team, the youngster favoured alongside Doidge at the business end of play for the visitors, Hibs were guaranteed to have energy in the final third. And surely they’d be feeling rested, refreshed and full of vim following their sunshine break in Dubai, right? Right?

The opening exchanges, however, hit Hibs like a cold north-easterly. Forfar flew at them with gale force. And very nearly blew the visitors away inside the first 10 minutes or so.

Did David Marshall get a touch on the Seb Ross effort that hit the post with just three minutes on the clock? If so, it was one heck of a save. The former Scotland goalie could only look on helplessly, mind, as Stuart Morrison’s header from a corner arced just wide of his goal.

Another corner gave the home side a chance to put the men in green-and-white under more pressure. If not for Christian Doidge’s goal-line clearance, the League Two strugglers would have taken the lead via Matthew Allan’s well-placed header.

Hibs must have thought they were going to get away with a horrible first half-hour when, against the run of play, Roberto Nditi was adjudged to have fouled Lewis Stevenson inside the Forfar penalty area. Surely this was the moment when the Scottish Premiership side took the lead.

Up stepped Newell with left-foot effort that was well enough hit. But flying across his goal came Marc McCallum, the Forfar goalie diving to his right to make a stunning stop.

Forfar were energised by the potential turning point, the home side throwing bodies and balls into the box. And finding Hibs looking increasingly uncomfortable under the barrage. At least three chances came and went – mercifully for Monty – before half-time brought temporary relief, at least.

The visitors showed some initiative early in the second half, Doidge just failing to convert an Elie Youan cross after Newell had threaded a pass through the massed blue ranks. But Hibs were still anything but solid at the other end, giving up far too many encouraging moments to the host; a Will Fish turnover ending in a Seb Ross one-on-one was the worst of several.  

The introduction of Dylan Vente and Dylan Levitt for Molotnikov and Newell added something to the mix for Hibs, who at least began to create chances. And Doidge, so often underestimated and overlooked, took the best of them when he leapt to meet a Tavares free-kick from the left and send a header into the home net.