Hibs will take heart from European away performances - but can't possibly squander so many chances again
Reasons to be cheerful: Words and video as we reflect on Easter Road drama ... and look ahead to Warsaw
Brilliant in Belgrade and more than a match for Midtjylland in Denmark, Hibs have already shown themselves to be a formidable force on foreign soil in this European campaign. If overcoming a single-goal deficit in Warsaw may appear more daunting than their travails to date, well, just imagine how great they’ll feel when they knock Legia out of the UEFA Conference League in the Polish capital next Thursday night …
Hope springs eternal – or should that be infernal? - in the hearts of football fans, of course. And so the Hibees intending to follow David Gray’s men on a third continental adventure of this still-new season will dare to dream.
Having come away from Herning with a 1-1 draw and then put Partizan to the sword with a spectacular 2-0 win in Serbia, Gray can point to a track record of success in hostile environments. Against teams of no little pedigree.
Given the number of chances the home side created at Easter Road last night, meanwhile, the Hibs players shouldn’t take a lot of convincing that this play-off – and the chance to progress to the league phase – is still there for the taking. If only they can find finishing touches to go with the flurry of creativity shown in the first leg.
Away day warriors
“The next goal in the game can be huge and we've demonstrated already, away from home in Europe, that we can put in very good levels of performance,” said Gray, the former cub captain adding: “We'll need to do that again, but the players need to believe we can go and do it.
“I think we need to lean on the experiences we've enjoyed and the places we've gone. Not many people gave us an opportunity or a chance to go over to Midtjylland. We were strong underdogs going over there.
“The players believed they could do it. he game plan was there. They stuck to it. They were very good within the game.
Partizan win ‘an incredible result’
“And then to go over to Belgrade, and I know I underplayed at the time, but an incredible result to go over there and win. The players we have are capable of that.
“The next goal becomes huge in the tie. Either it become more relaxing for them – or we create a wee bit more anxiety in the stadium. Because you're going away from home and you'll be heavily outnumbered. I think that's just the nature of the game and the tie-in.”
Anyone fancy a shot on target?
Hibs created more than enough opportunities to win the game last night. In the opening quarter hour alone, Kieron Bowie had one shot palmed just too far away from the in-rushing Jordan Obita by the Legia goalkeeper – and the Scotland striker pulled an even better chance wide of the near post not long after.
By that point, Josh Mulligan – the late hero of the hour - had already over-run the ball when it looked easier just to slot past the goalie. And Josh Campbell had headed wide from an Obita corner.
It was a pattern repeated over the course of the game and, if Hibs were more frenetic than composed at 2-0 down, the introduction of key substitutes at the right moment made a difference. Even if Thibault Klidje will have left the pitch feeling that he certainly should have scored one goal – and might well have ended the night with a pair.
Gray, reflecting on his team’s ability to cut through Legia without applying a coup de grace, said: “Yeah, plenty of chances created, which is a real positive. And quite clear-cut chances, as well, so that’s something we need to be better at.
“You want to make sure you take the chances when they come along, especially at this level, because you don't always create opportunities against a good side. It doesn't always happen, so you need to make sure you take them when they come.
“I think that's something that I credit to the players again. I think right from the start there's even opportunities when we've maybe shot or passed or maybe made the wrong choice.
“Can our final third play be better? Yes. And it’ll need to be if we’re to get through this tie.”
There are no guarantees that Hibs will generate as many line breaks and shooting chances as they did last night, once they are cast in the role of invaders at the Polish Army Stadium next week. But their ability to hit teams from all angles has been a big part of this team’s story under Gray.
Surely we won’t see another four or five crosses fizz past the outstretched boot of an attacker by half a toenail. Mulligan and Bowie, both of whom missed chances in a flurry of activity early in the second half, will fancy their chances of disrupting Legia’s back line. And it’s hard to imagine Rocky Bushiri, who headed over the bar from a brilliant Obita corner, being as wasteful in similar circumstances on another huge night for his team.
Legia will take some watching, of course. But if Hibs keep a clean sheet in Warsaw, you’d back them to score at least one. Extending a European run that has already yielded some significant overseas battle honours … with the best yet to come?