Hibernian 1 - 2 St Johnstone

Published on Saturday 30 April 2011 16:42

AKPO Sodje claimed his fourth goal in as many games but Hibs were stunned as St Johnstone roared back with strikes from substitute Liam Craig and an injury time winner from Kevin Moon.

Those goals were the first scored by a Saints player in more than 1100 minutes of SPL action and they prompted a chorus of boos from the home fans at Easter Road on the final whistle.

Saints, without an SPL goal in three months other than the own goal scored by Hibs' Richie Towell the last tiem these two clubs met, made much of the early running but Derek McInnes' side found themselves thwarted time and again by the offside flag.

As such there was little for goalkeeper Jakub Divis, making his competitive debut for the Edinburgh club, to do other than collect a near post header from Saints' Peter MacDonald as his team-mates fought to gain a foothold in the match.

They did so in style 23 minutes in, Paul Hanlon launching a long ball which found Sodje running between defenders Jamie Adams and Dave Mackay to coolly lob the advancing Peter Enckelman.

Sodje's neat touch should have led to Hibs' second nine minutes later, providing Ricardo Vaz Te with a clear opening but the former Bolton Wanderers star, having sidestepped one defender, attemped to take on a second and in doing so knocked the ball too far in front, allowing Enckelman to gather.

Danny Grainger saw a free kick drift wide as Saints attempted to get back on level terms but Vaz Te was inches away from making it two for Hibs in the 62nd minute, the Portuguese striker crashing a low angled shot off the inside of Enckelman's right hand post after Martin Scott had done all the spadework.

The Perth club, however, finally ended their goal drought in the 73rd minute as substitute Craig rose unopposed to power home Grainger's corner to the obvious delight of the small travelling support.

Worse was to come two minutes into added-on time as Andy Jackson's cross was turned onto the bar by Divis, Craig pouncing on the rebound to cut the ball into the path of Moon, who gleefully turned the ball home from three yards out.

Hibs: Divis, Towell, Dickoh, Stephens, Hanlon, Scott (Galbraith 78), Palsson, Stevenson, Booth (Riordan 87), Vaz Te, Sodje (Wotherspoon 69). Subs not used: Brown, L Miller, Taggart, Hart.

St Johnstone: Enckelman, Maybury, Grainger, Mackay, Davidson, (Gartland 69), Adams, Moon, C Millar, Invincibile (Craig 62), Jackson, MacDonald (Robertson 87). Subs not used: Smith, Durnan, May, Reynolds, Robertson.

Referee: Crawford Allan.