Saints 1-2 Hibernian
Match Reports

Saints 1-2 Hibernian

27th November 2021

Saints 1-2 Hibernian

Ten-man Saints slipped to defeat this afternoon as Hibs scored two late goals to leave Perth with all 3 points.

Saints took the lead with 5 minutes of the first half remaining as captain Liam Gordon headed home an Ali Crawford cross. However, Saints would have to play the second half with ten men after Craig Bryson picked up a second booking just before half time.

The second half was one way traffic as Hibs pressed for the equaliser. Saints held out well however the pressure from the Leith side eventually told on 83 minutes as Kevin Nisbet guided a curling effort beyond Zander Clark. Then 3 minutes later substitute Jamie Murphy scored the winner.

Saints are back in action on Wednesday evening as they take on Dundee at the Kilmac Stadium at Dens Park, kick off 7:45pm.   

MATCH REPORT

Saints were back in league action this afternoon as they welcomed Hibs to McDiarmid Park. Saints lost 1-0 to Celtic in the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup last Saturday and there were three changes to the Saints starting eleven this afternoon. James Brown dropped to the bench, whilst Chris Kane was suspended and David Wotherspoon missed out after picking up an injury at Hampden Park last weekend. They were replaced by Lars Dendoncker, Ali Crawford and Eetu Vertainen, who was making his first start for the club this afternoon. Hibs lost 1-0 at Ross County in midweek and Head Coach Jack Ross made two changes to his starting eleven as Ryan Porteous and Jamie Gullan came in to replace Darren McGregor and the suspended Martin Boyle.

Murray Davidson got the match underway for Saints and it was the visitors who got the first sight of goal as Lars Dendoncker’s clearance was gathered by Josh Campbell and the midfielder set up Josh Doig but the defender dragged his effort wide. Then shortly after Kevin Nisbet had the ball in the net after getting on the end of a flicked header from Campbell however, play was pulled back as the Scotland internationalist was deemed to have been offside by the Main Stand assistant.

A good Saints move on 13 minutes saw Ali Crawford and Eetu Vertainen link up well as they advanced down the left channel however, as they broke into the Hibs box the Finnish forward couldn’t make a clean connection with Crawford’s delivery.

PHOTO: Eetu Vertainen turns Jake Doyle-Hayes

Then 2 minutes later Jamie Gullan did well to bring the ball down before picking out Campbell whose effort from 20 yards went wide.

On 24 minutes Saints created an opening as Michael O’Halloran cut in from the right before curling a left footed effort from 20 yards wide.

The first booking of the game came on 27 minutes as Craig Bryson was shown a yellow card for a foul on Ryan Porteous.

The visitors were creating the better of the chances and just after the half an hour mark Jamie McCart made an excellent block to deny Gullan after the forward had been setup by Nisbet.

The breakthrough came with 5 minutes of the first half remaining as Saints took the lead. Paul Hanlon’s wayward clearance went behind for a corner and it was taken by Crawford however, his delivery into the box was partly cleared by the Hibs defence. Crawford gathered the clearance and sent over another cross into the box which Liam Gordon got on the end of it to plant a towering header past Matt Macey.

PHOTO: Liam Gordon heads Saints into the lead

Hibs almost got an immediate response as Campbell’s header from a Gullan corner hit the post.

3 minutes of injury time was added on at the end of the first half and halfway through that Saints were reduced to ten men as Bryson was sent off after picking up a second booking for a foul on Joe Newell.

That sending off meant Saints made a change before the second half could get underway as Cammy MacPherson came on to replace Eetu Vertainen.

PHOTO: Craig Bryson is sent off after picking up a second booking

Now with the man advantage Hibs were quickly out of the traps in the second half and on 51 minutes Doig picked out Chris Cadden who unleashed a thunderous strike which crashed off the crossbar.

The pressure from the visitors continued and just after the hour mark Nisbet had the ball in the net again courtesy of a header however, it was again chalked off for offside.

Then on 68 minutes Zander Clark made a brilliant save to deny Hibs substitute Jamie Murphy from close range. Clark was called into action again 3 minutes later as he used his left leg to save a Doig effort.

Saints made their second change of the game on 75 minutes as James Brown came on to replace Shaun Rooney.

However, with 7 minutes remaining Hibs pressure eventually told as they levelled the match. Good play by substitute Scott Allan saw him play the ball into Murphy and he setup Nisbet who curled a fine strike beyond Clark.

Then a minute later the Leith side almost got a second goal as Allan cut the ball back to Murphy but the former Motherwell forward saw his effort go wide of the target.

Murphy though did find the back of the net on 86 minutes as he got on the end of Allan’s cross from the left at the back post to slot the ball past Clark.

PHOTO: Jamie Murphy scores the winner for Hibs

Viv Solomon-Otabor then came on to make his Saints debut after signing for the club on a short-term deal earlier this week.

Despite 6 minutes of injury time being added on at the end Saints couldn’t find a way back into the game and Hibs almost got a third deep into injury time as Porteous broke forward before seeing his effort comeback off the crossbar.

Saints: Clark, Gordon, McCart, Rooney (Brown 75), Booth, Davidson (Solomon-Otabor 87), Bryson, O’Halloran, Vertainen (MacPherson 45), Crawford, Dendoncker

Unused Substitutes: Parish (GK), Ambrose, Devine, Craig  

Booked: Bryson, Davidson, Brown

Sent Off: Bryson

Scorer: Gordon (40)

Hibernian: Macey, Doig, Hanlon, Porteous, McGinn (Murphy 61), Gullan (Allan 71), Newell, Nisbet, Doyle-Hayes (Scott 77), Cadden, Campbell

Unused Substitutes: Dabrowski (GK), Wright, Gogic, Stevenson

Booked: Campbell

Scorers: Nisbet (83), Murphy (86)

Referee: Euan Anderson

Attendance: 3,362

Match Report by Daryl Scott

Picture: Shaun Rooney is tackled by Jamie Gullan

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