Hibs in Europe: Scotland's No. 9, Smith's steely-eyed resolve - and lessons learned from Partizan drama
Doing things the hard way so much more fun for David Gray’s men, right?
If Hibs are to progress to the league/group stages of European football for the first time since UEFA abandoned the straight knock-out format in favour a more mutually lucrative arrangement, they’re not going to make it straightforward. Well, where’s the fun in that?
Be honest, now. While fans, footballers and finance experts alike may have bemoaned the Easter Road club’s ill fortune when Aberdeen snatched away that guarantee of European league phase football with their Scottish Cup upset of Treble-chasing Celtic, there is another way to look at the situation foisted upon David Gray’s men.
Can you imagine having missed all of this? One of the most brilliantly barmy nights in Easter Road history? Itself a fitting coda to extra-time heartbreak in the Europa League just a fortnight earlier?
If this is what it takes to qualify for the UEFA Conference League proper, bring it on. One more time. One final test of nerve for supporters left breathless but exhilarated by the sort of experience that only elite sport can provide.
What a night. What a ballsy performance. What a goal – you know the one. What, exactly, might Hibs muster by way of an encore when Legia Warsaw pitch up in Scotland’s capital next week? And what did we learn from this one?
Kieron Bowie is Scotland’s No. 9
Steve Clarke was at Easter Road last night. And he can’t just have been hoping to see Grant Hanley get some minutes off the bench.
What the Scotland boss saw was Bowie turn in a virtuoso demonstration of centre forward play. A thrilling, thunderous, electrifying and exhilarating performance that had Partizan’s defence in a constant spin.
Take away the wonder goal, if you like. Although surely it has to be factored into any discussion about what the big lad brings to the party.
Even without one of the finest strikes ever seen at Easter Road, Bowie’s showing on the night was full of exactly what any international manager would want to see from a prime candidate to lead the line. Physicality. Skill to turn defenders. Vision to play balls around corners or link play.
For the second time in a week, his mere presence forced a defender to pick up a costly second booking leading to a red card. He chased every ball, tracked back and tackled brilliantly, and genuinely looked disappointed to be removed after 113 minutes – plus the injury time added on to the 90 already played – of hard graft.
Not only must Bowie be included in the squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers. The 22-year-old should START against Denmark in Copenhagen. Lack of experience be damned, this kid has it all.
Jordan Smith is a steely-eyed missile man
Character. You can’t fake it. The veteran goalie may wear the No. 13 on his jersey. But he’s still No. 1 – despite the howler that led to Partizan drawing level on aggregate with their second goal last night.
Probably culpable for both of the visitors’ first-half goals, the 30-year-old former Nottingham Forest keeper – playing in just his third European game – could easily have crumbled. In all honesty, his nerves looked shot in the moments just before half-time.
He also had a couple of nervy moments in the second half. But what a recovery he made, pulling off ever better – and ever more important – saves as the game went on.
As goalie coach, Craig Samson will undoubtedly pick up on any technical areas committed by the guy between the sticks. But Smith’s fortitude, his willingness and ability to claw himself back from the abyss, was rightly singled out for praise by David Gray last night.
If Hibs are to reach UEFA Conference League proper, they’ll need warriors. Smith is certainly that.
Football is not a game of perfect
Hibs have issues to address, if they want to get past Legia Warsaw in the play-off round. They might even have a few flaws to iron out just to get past Livingston in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday.
Admitting that he’d had to rally his troops ahead of extra-time, with substitute Andrej Kostic’s goal in the sixth minute of injury time having sucked all the oxygen out of the home crowd, Gray said: “I'd like us to have more control. I'd like us to go to the corner at times.
“The game management side we’ll analyse, and that's my job, to make sure the players are better in these moments or learn from these moments. You could clearly see every player from both sets of teams giving it absolutely everything. At that point, they're in the moment. They're making decisions.
“It's a bit emotionally led, and their mistakes happen. But I think, as I just said, the character was tested. Over the course of it, I think they deserved to go through, so I'm delighted for them.”