Strong Hibs performance secures three points at home to St Mirren

Goals from Rob Jones and Derek Riordan gave Hibs the three points after a strong performance against St Mirren at Easter Road. Jones headed a Riordan corner into the back of the net with barely 15 minutes gone to open the scoring, and Riordan himself hit a superb in swinging strike into the back of the net with ten minutes left to guarantee the home side the win.

St Mirren will have been disappointed not to have at least tested Hibs goalie Gregorz Szamotulski more that they did, and despite some promising play on both wings, they lacked the clinical precision around the box to merit justly taking anything from the game.

Hibs came close to opening the scoring after only six minutes with a quick dispatch from keeper Szamotulski allowing Colin Nish enough room to pass the ball to Riordan whose hard shot to Mark Howard’s left was only stopped by a strong save from the St Mirren keeper.

St Mirren had a chance five minutes later when Franco Miranda played a clever ball into the box, but the waiting Derek Wynass was unable to get a shot on target.

The breakthrough came shortly afterwards when a powerful Steven Thicot shot from 25 yards was parried over by Howard for a Hibs corner. Riordan’s ball in was met by the head of the Jones, the Hibs captain rising above the away side’s defence to put his side in front.

Hibs dominated for most of the remainder of the first half, with Nish and Riordan both looking keen to double their team’s advantage. A clever switch from John Rankin put Nish in space shortly after the half hour mark, but his pass to Riordan was marginally too fast for the incoming striker to make contact.

The visitors came out much stronger in the second half, but Hibs still looked the more likely to put the ball in the back of the net. A smart pass from new arrival Jonatan Johnasson three minutes in put Colin Nish through in the box, but his shot was deflected out for a corner.

Twenty minutes later another long range effort, this time from Nish, came close to doubling the home sides’s advantage, but again Howard was able to push the ball past his left hand post. Nish and Riordan’s quick passing gave them another opportunity a couple of minutes later, but Nish’s final ball to Riordan in the box was well snuffed out by the away defence.

Another Riordan corner was met by the head of Souleymane Bamba shortly afterwards, and the Frenchman was only denied a goal by the woodwork.

St Mirren continued to look for an equaliser throughout the second half, with some strong runs up the flank by Jack Ross. However, a largely solid showing from the Hibs back four meant that they were unable to convert their possession in the homes side’s half into anything meaningful. The away-side's best chance came in the 72nd minute when a Billy Mehment ball found Andy Dorman in the box with both time and space. However, Dorman took an unnecessary touch, and eventually hit the ball wide, squandering a golden opportunity to put his side back on level terms.

The second goal of the game came ten minutes later when Riordan found himself in space at the edge of the box. His curling shot left Howard no chance, and put the game beyond the visitors.

Sub Joe Keenan should have made it three for the home side in the last minute of the game after a neat pass from Riordan along the ground, but the 26 year-old blasted the ball well over the bar.