Why the manner of Hibs win at Motherwell hints at a corner finally being turned

Fir Park has not been a particularly happy hunting ground for Hibs in recent seasons. Too many matches have finished in dour draws or listless defeats. The last time they came away from North Lanarkshire with a win was a narrow 1-0 victory in October 2017.

Happy Hibees: Christian Doidge takes the plaudits after netting the second goal against Motherwell

After the first 45 minutes on Saturday and the opening exchanges of the second half in which Bevis Mugabi powered a header off the inside of the post and Martin Boyle – matchwinner three years ago – had a shot saved at point-blank range, the encounter took on a very familiar feeling. Would this be the latest demoralising result in a run of below-par performances?

Hibs may have well viewed their 2-2 draw with Celtic a point gained rather than two points dropped, even if they did concede an injury-time equaliser, but a below-par performance against St Johnstone with the Easter Road side twice coming from behind to scrape a draw seemed to confirm that the somewhat unstoppable green-and-white juggernaut of the early part of the campaign had had the brakes put on.

Tactics win - and lose – matches

The first meeting of the season between Motherwell and Hibs finished goalless but in truth the Easter Road side were lucky to take anything from the game after losing the midfield battle and, like Saturday, Motherwell had a goal ruled out for offside that could have changed the course of the match had it been given.

Jack Ross made a big call in leaving Christian Doidge on the bench and in the first half, Mugabi certainly had the better of Kevin Nisbet as Hibs struggled to carve out much in the way of chances.

Packing the midfield worked and even though Hibs were listless in the first period and Motherwell enjoyed the better of the chances, Ross deserves credit for sticking to his guns for the second half and giving his players and system a chance to bear fruit, and then making canny changes that helped Hibs keep on top.

His decision to start Melker Hallberg paid off when the Swede supplied the cross for Boyle’s opener, as did his attacking switch by bringing on Doidge for Drey Wright. Even his call to replace Hallberg with Stephen McGinn turned out to be a masterstroke as the 32-year-old shored up the midfield and topped it off by netting his first goal in two years.

Wright's involvement from the start was perhaps surprising but his energy in midfield limited Motherwell's threat in the opening period. Ross made several big calls and got them all spot on.

For ‘Well, Allan Campbell was everywhere in the first half and could have opened the scoring but in the second half faded; presumably a result, at least partially, of his period of self-isolation.

Stephen Robinson can’t be blamed for wanting Campbell in his team but a fully match-fit midfielder may have made more of a difference late on.

Statement of intent

With the 4-5-1 / 4-2-3-1 formation, fans would have been forgiven for assuming Hibs were set up to take a point. The reality was that Ross had devised a game plan that would work if the players stuck to it. There was an element of surprise that the same personnel in the same formation lined up for the second half but in hindsight, it made perfect sense. The half-time team-talk seemed to reset Hibs, and they were far better in the second 45. Once Boyle had scored the opener, small changes were made to help Hibs turn the screw, leading to Doidge’s goal and McGinn’s strike.

So often over the past few years Hibs have drawn games they really should be winning and had supporters been offered a draw ahead of Saturday's match most would have probably taken it. The fact Hibs won, and so convincingly, is a promising sign that the team is over the blip that saw them lose to Hearts and Aberdeen and draw with Celtic and St Johnstone when they might have won.

It is also the third time this season that Hibs have won by three clear goals away from home. With Aberdeen hitting a dip in form, and Celtic on a run of just two wins in 12 games, Hibs have a real chance to take advantage of both situations, keep racking up the points, and finally shrug off that “nearly” mantle.

‘Tis the season to be clinical

Both management and players have spoken at length about the six-game blocks they work around; the windows they deal with throughout the season. Hibs have already played 22 games this season in all competitions suggesting they are around four games into the fourth segment. Winning at Hamilton next week – a second away victory on the bounce – would likely raise confidence ahead of the Betfred Cup quarter-final at Alloa, and stand Hibs in good stead ahead of the fifth block of matches starting with the Dundee United home game.

The festive season often throws up one or two surprising results and with that level of uncertainty, the segmented approach comes into its own. Instead of thinking ahead three or four games down the line the players concentrate on the next game and once that’s out the way, they focus on the next.

Hibs have a golden opportunity to quietly plug away in the background while the spotlight is on other clubs. The Easter Road side has the chance to leapfrog Celtic into second next Saturday – even if just overnight, it would be a huge shot in the arm for the team, irrespective of the circus surrounding Neil Lennon's position and the club's ten-in-a-row prospects.

Hibs are keen to finish as high up the table as they can with a decent run in both cups, and European football is the ultimate goal.

For now though, three points against Accies next week is the biggest target so far this season.

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