Dundee United 3-0 Hibs: Bad defending costs Hibs

No-one in the Easter Road dressing-room may yet be talking about relegation, although everyone within the club is well aware of the abyss into which Hibs are staring.

But that doesn't stop the rest of us contemplating the stark reality that falling into the First Division has become the sole topic of conversation when it comes to Colin Calderwood and his players.

Hamilton goalkeeper Tomas Cerny could well have been accused of playing mind games when, ahead of the weekend's action, he questioned whether the Edinburgh side had the bottle for a fight against the drop, the Czech star spot-on in his assertion Hibs would scarcely have thought of themselves facing such a predicament only a few months ago.

While Hibs lie just two points ahead of Accies - the Lanarkshire side enjoying the comfort of a couple of games in hand - it is, of course, a three-way battle to avoid the trapdoor, with St Mirren two points better off than the Capital outfit.

"Unlike us and St Mirren," observed Cerny, "Hibs are not used to being in this situation. It might be more difficult for them, psychologically, because they are not used to fighting against relegation. Hibs are a big club and are expected do better than this."

Subtly turning up the heat on opponents is certainly very much part of the game, Cerny well aware that confidence within Calderwood's squad is fragile and anything he can do to make them even more uneasy is all to the good, at least as far as Hamilton and St Mirren are concerned.

Whether that was Cerny's intention matters little, for the Accies No.1 was merely echoing the thoughts of an increasingly disillusioned Hibs support, many of whom have already resigned themselves to what former chairman Tom O'Malley famously described as "a great adventure" in the late Nineties.

So, are Hibs up for the fight? We'll get an answer pretty quickly with the Buddies next up for Calderwood's players, former Easter Road midfielder Danny Lennon bringing the Paisley side to his old stomping ground on Wednesday night, an occasion on which, given Hamilton face St Johnstone 24 hours earlier, could begin with Hibs sitting rock-bottom.

That scenario which will send a shiver down the spine of every Hibs supporter, each of them probably unable to see where their club's next win is going to come from. This result at Tannadice made it five straight defeats, seven games without a goal, 12 matches without a win and, for Calderwood, a wretched record of just two victories in 17 attempts as manager.

Failing to score and a defence which has managed just three clean sheets all season, 42 goals now conceded in 23 matches, the worst in the SPL which includes an Aberdeen side which shipped nine in one game to Celtic, has proved to be a toxic mix.

For Calderwood and his players, the task ahead is to ensure it doesn't become a fatal one. Outwardly, Calderwood remains cool, calm and collected. Inwardly, the former Scotland defender's stomach must be churning as he watches, game by game, his side offer gilt-edged opportunities, few of which have been scorned.

At present, all that seems necessary is the opposition to stay on level terms for as long as it takes, secure in the knowledge that sooner or later they'll be afforded the chance to score. This time round that opening came after just 13 minutes, David Robertson's flick from Keith Watson's first-time ball into the box finding Jon Daly all alone as he ran off Francis Dickoh to beat Graeme Smith.

"It was well-worked," admitted Calderwood, "But we have to defend it better, we must have that extra body in the box, you cannot leave a centre forward free."

All the more frustrating for Calderwood was the fact that up until that point, it had been Hibs who had enjoyed the first look at goal, Liam Miller failing to find the target from six yards and then Danny Galbraith doing likewise as he met Colin Nish's knock-down on the volley.

Yet again, for the tenth time in 12 matches, Hibs found themselves behind, a not irretrievable situation but, given the dearth of goals, one which threatened further problems which duly arose as David Goodwillie's flick left Craig Conway with a clear run before blazing a terrific shot beyond Smith. Game over, and with 42 second-half minutes remaining.

Once more, Calderwood was left bemoaning his side's shortcomings, saying: "I was quite pleased with the way we had started the game, trying to get shots and crosses in and having one or two half-opportunities. But the second came about by us losing possession and not defending a throw-in in their last third of the pitch.

"What we are doing at the back is bamboozling."

Substitute Johnny Russell's third for United was merely academic, Hibs beaten in those opening minutes of the second half, leaving the Edinburgh club as Paul Hanlon, the seventh player to have pulled on the captain's armband this season, admitted facing their biggest game of the season with the visit of the Buddies.

Hanlon however, who has the dubious honour of being the last Hibs player to score, claiming a last-gasp equaliser against United two days before Hogmanay, insisted he and his team-mates have their eyes firmly fixed on Saints rather than glancing over their shoulders at Hamilton.

He said: "We are well aware of the points situation but we have to concentrate on ourselves. We all know the situation we are in but talking about it 24/7 is not going to help.

"Everything gets hard when confidence is low. We are not scoring goals and we are not keeping clean sheets and until we start doing that we won't win games.

"I know everyone says it, but we have to keep looking forward to the next game and try not to get too down about results. Is Wednesday the biggest game of the season? Definitely. St Mirren are down there with us although they are above us and we have to look to catching them. We have to take every game as it comes but this is going to be a big game."

Calderwood himself admitted he has to come up with "a blend and a formula" which will get Hibs the desired results - something that has, by and large, eluded him thus far, a situation which thrusts his January signings Matt Thornhill (a second half substitute on this occasion), Martin Scott, Richie Towell and Victor Palsson very much to the fore.

It's quite a weight resting on their shoulders but Palsson and Scott added a bit more bite and aggression in the middle of the park, while Towell again had a quietly effective match at right back.

But the responsibility of rescuing Hibs shouldn't be their's alone, there's plenty of experience within Calderwood's squad and it's up to each and every one of them to play their part.