Exclusive:Hibs goalie decision revealed as Sallinger returns from suspension to challenge stand-in Smith for start
Ex-Nottingham Forest stand-in replaced Austrian No. 1 after Hearts red card
Raphael Sallinger will go straight back into the Hibs starting XI after serving a one-game suspension for his red card moment of madness in the Edinburgh derby, The Evening News can reveal. The Austrian goalkeeper will be back between the sticks as David Gray takes his team to Falkirk tomorrow in pursuit of a crucial result as they desperately cling onto hopes of European qualification for the second straight season.
Experienced back-up goalkeeper Jordan Smith, who lost his starting spot to Sallinger earlier in the season, has performed well since replacing the established No. 1 during that eventful Easter Road loss to Hearts, as Hibs went down to 10 men – and then nine, following Felix Passlack’s red card – amid crazy scenes. He brought a sense of calm to proceedings as a substitute, then played the full 90 in last weekend’s loss to Celtic.
‘Smudger’ rose to challenge at Easter Road
Gray praised Smith for his handling of the situation, saying: “What Smudge has done is exactly what you want for your No. 2. It's been excellent.
“Coming in, steady the ship, especially in a really difficult situation. We saw all his experience coming on in the derby.
“Obviously, it helped that he made a huge save straight away. That does probably your confidence the world of good. And then he made huge saves within the game.
“And then again, against Celtic, he made a lot of good saves and did exactly what he's had to do. That’s no surprise, because he’s been excellent ever since he came in. The way he trains every day, it's not an accident that that happens.
“I've always got a decision to make on goalkeepers because I've got two really strong goalkeepers. And young Freddie Owens, who trains really well as well, which is good for him.
“He got the experience of being on the bench at the weekend. He'll definitely benefit from that. But that's kind of where I'm at.”
Gray’s thinking is that Sallinger shouldn’t be dropped for a single mistake, however inexplicable and regardless of the stakes. The experienced goalie immediately acknowledged his culpability in completely losing his bearing sin a big moment.
Admitting that the former TSV Hartberg goalie had found his one-game suspension tough enough, the gaffer said: “Yeah, it's difficult because of everything that goes with it. It's a clear, obvious mistake for him.
“And unfortunately, goalkeepers get punished when they make mistakes nine times out of ten. And it's always the biggest punishment they can get.
“All he's done is exactly what you'd expect, which is he's been there for Smudge every day in training. Making sure he trains properly in that period to do everything for the team.
“When you can't contribute at the weekend, you still need to do everything that Smudge and Freddie do on a daily basis every day. So training properly, doing the additional stuff in training with Sammy and the goalkeepers. And being really supportive for Smudge, which he has been.”