Hibs ratings as Gray's men win goal-scoring race to top Cup group

Hibs won the footballing equivalent of a run race to finish top of their Premier Sports Cup group, as their 4-0 home win over Peterhead left Queen’s Park – 6-0 winners at home to Kelty – in second place on goal difference. Only just.

It was a close-run thing, for much of the afternoon. But David Gray’s men eventually got their reward for dominating League Two opposition, securing their passage into the last 16 – never in much doubt, with the three best runners-up guaranteed to progress - in a little bit of style.

On a day when several players made key contributions, perhaps none played a more important role in the victory than Lewis Miller, goal scoring hero extraordinaire. Not exactly the first description you’d apply to a straight up-and-down right back more noted for his effort and physicality than his subtle finishing skills.

In a Hibs team desperately short of a centre forward, however, the Socceroos defender stepped up to score twice – equalling his tally for the entirety of last season – to set Hibs on their way. With Rudi Molotnikov also hitting the net and Nathan Moriah-Welsh getting in on the act, Gray’s team just about buried the memory of last weekend’s shock loss to Kelty. And can now march on next weekend’s big Scottish Premiership kick-off feeling a bit better about themselves.

Miller’s goal just before the five-minute mark, the Australian right back cutting inside and scoring with a left-footed in-swinger looking suspiciously like a cross that missed every intended target before bouncing into the net, put Hibs in control. And then? Well, for a long enough time, it looked as if that slightly opportunistic opener might be nothing more than another flash in the pan.

As has been the case for a while now, the problem lay not in Hibs actually creating chances. There were times in the first half, in particular, where their attacking quartet – Dylan Vente, Martin Boyle, Josh Campbell and young Molotnikov – made the Peterhead defenders look like tackle dummies.

But failure to find the net, from all sorts of range and in all manner of circumstances, kept this game at 1-0. And gave hope to Queen’s Park fans watching their team chasing the goals needed to put them top of Group C.

Gray’s men were thwarted by deflections, stymied by late blocks, confounded by a couple of decent saves … and embarrassed by their own inability to hit the target. Miller might have had a quick second, Vente’s lack of confidence became ever more obvious, while several others were equally unable to shine in the big moment. News of a third goal for Queen’s, putting them just one behind in the battle for the summit, did nothing to quell the anxiety of supporters watching their team struggle to bag a second.

The breathing room they desired was provided five minutes into the second half, as Miller made it 2-0 with a close-range finish after a neat little lay-off from Vente. If the fans could allow themselves to relax, the players also began to perform with a bit of freedom.

The third goal, just before the hour mark, was a thing of beauty. Miller was involved in the start of the sharp pass-and-move sequence that saw both Campbell and Boyle involved before Molotnikov arrived to score just his second senior goal.

Jordan Obita might have been thinking about giving up, meanwhile, after putting in cross after teasing cross without seeing anyone make a decent contact. Until Moriah-Welsh came flying into to finish on the volley with 71 minutes on the clock.

Queen’s Park kept plugging away to the last, dragging themselves to within a goal of Hibs. Whose early efforts in the group, scoring ten and losing just one in their first two fixtures, turned out to be quite important.