Hibs braced for Motherwell 'mayhem' as Easter Road visitors pack not-so-secret weapon with 'carnage' threat

Hibs have been prepping to cope with the “mayhem” caused by Motherwell’s monstrous long throw-in tactic as David Gray’s men return to Easter Road in search of lost momentum. And Gray says his players will need to be ready for anything Kofi Balmer chucks at them in Saturday’s Scottish Premiership showdown.

Former Crystal Palace prospect Balmer has spoken about his love of causing “carnage in the box” with a set-piece weapon that has left fans open-mouthed with astonishment. Gray, hoping Lewis Miller can do as much damage with his own ballistic heaves into the opposition danger zone, is well aware of the threat posed by the Northern Irishman.

“I have seen it, yeah,” Gray told The Evening News, when asked about Balmer’s deliveries. “Of course, that's a big part of the game now, isn't it? So that can be used in many different ways.

“It can be used even just to get them up the pitch. It can be used to throw it into the opposition box.

“It can cause a bit of mayhem. But it's definitely something we need to be ready for.

“Our players will be well aware of that. You need to be switched on it all the time.

“I think we've got a similar situation with Millsy at times, where we pick it up, opponents switch off – and he can throw it right in behind. So our players will be ready for that as well. I think Motherwell have also got key threats all over the pitch as well, so we need to be ready for them.”

On the surface, a throw-in should be quite a low risk situation for a defending team. No matter how often a commentator warns that “this is as good as a corner,” the evidence suggests that teams are usually more focused on retaining possession from the most common set-piece in the game.

Yet Gray acknowledges that, done well, it can cause chaos, saying: “Yeah, it does. He can be really accurate with it, so they can throw it exactly where they want it to go.

“Depending on how flat you can throw it, sometimes the flatter ones are easy to defend because you get more purchase on it - because they're usually coming faster. But the ones that are up there in the box, you don't really get a big distance when you're clearing, so you can get bodies around it.”

So, will Hibs and Motherwell fans be in for a festival of flinging on Saturday? It’s a possibility …

Gray laughed as he considered the prospect of a straight-up duel between Balmer and Miller, saying: “Aye, the two of them throwing it to each other across the pitch! No, as I've already said, set pieces are a big part of the game, especially in Scotland.

“You see it every week, the number of goals that are scored from a result of a set piece. Throw-ins are obviously a massive part of that now as well, so we'll definitely be organised, we'll go both ways.

“We know there’s much more to the game. Motherwell are in in real good form at the moment, and they’ve done really well this season. They’re very well organised, carry a real threat - and it's another very difficult game that we're getting ready for.

“It’s good to have a game again after Rangers, to have another game straight away. Then another break probably comes at the wrong time because you want to keep building that momentum of performances that we've had.

“We all know what the test is going to be about this week. But it’s about us setting the standard. I can see it coming. It’s always about focusing on how we can be better at our game.”

Hibs recorded their first league win of the season in their last home outing, seeing off St Johnstone in an ultimately comfortable 2-0 victory on September 14. After an enforced week off, they came close to getting something at Ibrox, only for striker Myko Kuharevich to miss a penalty in a 1-0 loss to Rangers.

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Given time to reflect on Sunday’s defeat, Gray is looking for a repeat performance this weekend. But with added killer instinct in front of goal.

The gaffer, who gave his players Monday off before getting them back in for training and post-match analysis on Tuesday, said: “I hate losing. I think everybody hates losing and I think it's very difficult straight after the game to be positive. But then the flip side to that is making sure the players understand that it was a very good performance against Rangers.

“There were a lot of things that we tried to do in the game that worked. Everything we asked them to do, they did. The one area in which we know we needed to improve was just that last wee bit, the finish at the end.

“Were we clinical enough for the number of shots and chances we had? No. Did we test them enough?

“Obviously the penalty save is a massive moment. But the biggest thing that I take from the game when you start to strip it back, and I've said it a lot about being measured throughout the whole process, don't get too high when you win and too low when you lose

“But we ask the same questions. What were you trying to do? Did the game plan work? Is the player getting better? So the progression is there every single week.

“The level of performance is improving all the time, individuals are getting fitter and stronger, and actually doing what you're asking them to do. And I think the more we're leaning towards that, and the stronger we're getting, we're starting to see the improvements all the time. Ultimately, we know the results need to get better because that's what you're judged on at the end of the day.”