Kilmarnock 3 - 1 Hibernian: John Hughes feels fans' wrath as Hibs crash out

Published on Wednesday 22 September 2010 19:21

THE brittleness of Hibernian and the deep-seated difficulties facing John Hughes were laid bare last night as the Leith club contrived to be well beaten in a League Cup fourth-round tie they initially appeared firmly in control of.

Failure to capitalise on a Jonathan Grounds goal in the early minutes will ratchet-up by several notches the pressure on Hughes, whose team have now only won once in eight matches. At full time, a section of the travelling Hibs support chanted "Yogi, Yogi get to ****".

The Leith team couldn't even make the most of a hugely contentious decision when referee Willie Collum reversed the decision to award a penalty for Kilmarnock on the advice of his fourth official Bobby Madden with the visitors one up. Instead, it was the Rugby Park team who seemed to use this moment as motivation, equalising shortly afterwards through Jamie Hamill.

Thereafter they simply kept going for it when their opponents seemed to wind up, initially earning the lead from a stonewall penalty earned in the 70th minute when Francis Dickoh crazily clipped Harry Forrester to allow Hamill to convert. Four minutes later they tied up their quarter-final place when David Da Silva thumped in a 25-yard drive from the left flank that beat Mark Brown at his near post. It will not be lost on the Hibs faithful that they were undone by a vibrant, courageous display from the victors - managed by their former manager Mixu Paatelainen, who was pitted against them for a first time since he was chased out of Easter Road last year with their approval because his teams' football was considered stodgy.

It was no surprise the cup tie doubled up as a classic managerial doom watch with Hughes the unhappy centrepiece... and little surprise that it finished as it did. The fact Hibs hadn't got the better of any side since a snatched opening-day win at Motherwell could only place the Leith club's manager in a real pickle, and make him vulnerable at Rugby Park. Whatever Hibs' failings in recent weeks during the home draws with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Hamilton Accies, Hughes retained faith in his ability to turn things around against a resurgent Kilmarnock.

His only change from the 1-1 draw with Billy Reid's men four days ago at Rugby Park was Grounds replacing David Wotherspoon, a switch that paid instant dividends with the on-loan Middlesbrough midfielder delivering a ninth-minute opener for the visitors with a quite brilliant finish.After the ball was knocked out to him on the left by Liam Miller, he met the ball so sweetly first time you knew his angled drive was whizzing low into the corner from the moment it left his boot.

There was a real effervescence to Hibs' play in these early stages and only keeper Cameron Bell's alertness in sprinting from his line when Colin Nish was played in over the top allowed him to block at the striker's feet. He was then the beneficiary of a huge slick of luck when the rebound rolled behind Derek Riordan, who couldn't get any power on his effort when eventually he tracked it down.

In between times, Brown required to pull of an excellent save when he had to dive full length to tip round the post after Forrester sent an almighty biff from fully 25 yards goalwards. Kilmarnock's route back into the game came in the most curious and controversial circumstances. Rule changes introduced over the summer now mean the fourth official effectively acts as a second referee in that he can offer judgements on all decisions and that is precisely what happened after Sol Bamba slid in on Connor Sammon and referee Collum blew for a penalty.

It can only be assumed that he then received an alert from his mic'ed-up fourth official Madden that Bamba had got a touch on the ball before his momentum took him through the Irish striker. Certainly that is what the Ivory Coast international and a posse of Hibs players protested to Collum. After a confab with Madden, the referee reversed his initial decision and awarded a corner, which sent the Kilmarnock players, bench and home crowd apoplectic.

Their ire was underpinned by the fact Collum, within 10 yards of the incident, took the word of Madden, positioned away on the halfway line. Fuelled by a sense of injustice, the Ayrshire side became a team on a mission and as the half-hour mark approached it was partially achieved when they claimed an equaliser.

Hibs keeper Brown was let down badly by his defence after producing a fine parry to deny the impressive Sammon, with green jerseys stationery as Hamill pounced on the rebound and drove it into an unguarded net. Thereafter, Kilmarnock took a grip, with the exception of an early second half chance in which Edwin De Graaf contrived to squander an open goal from eight yards.

Hughes will wonder what that missed sitter might do for his situation.

Kilmarnock: Bell, Hamill, Sissoko (Kelly 77), Wright, Gordon, Forrester, Pascali, Bryson, Da Silva (Invincibile 79), Sammon, Eremenko (Clany 85). Subs not used: Miguel, Letheren

Hibs: Brown, Hart, Bamba (Hanlon 78), Dickoh, De Graaf (Galbraith 80), McBride, Rankin (Wotherspoon 79), Grounds, Nish, Riordan. Subs not used: Trakys, Smith.