NEC Nijmegen 0 - 1 Hibernian: Riordan gets Hibs' winner in Holland

Published on Monday 19 July 2010 18:00

DEREK Riordan took only ten minutes to mark the birth of his daughter Ruby four days ago as he delivered a trademark free-kick to give Hibs the first victory of their four-match tour of Holland.

• Liam Miller goes on charge in the baking heat for Hibs last night, pursued by Lassschone of Dutch side NeC Nijmegen. Picture: Greg Macvean

Riordan had joined up with his team-mates only hours after flying to the Netherlands having been granted compassionate leave by manager John Hughes to attend the happy event on Thursday morning as the rest of the squad were preparing to depart.

The Scotland striker had started the match on the bench but when fellow substitute Anthony Stokes was felled 25 yards from goal there was no doubt as to what was about to happen, Riordan stepping up to curl the ball beyond NEC goalkeeper Gabor Babos, a goal reminiscent of his winner against Kilmarnock in March. Hughes had made three changes to the side so comprehensively dismantled by Heracles in Hibs' opening match, Graham Stack, Ian Murray and Colin Nish replacing Graeme Smith, Lewis Stevenson and Anthony Stokes in the starting line-up. But the Hibs manager found his options increased by the arrival of Riordan as his team-mates kicked off in bright sunshine and the mercury touching 30C even although it was 7pm local time.

Indeed, such was the heat, referee Tom Van Sichem called a halt to proceedings after only 25 minutes to allow the players of both sides a much-needed drink, an exercise which was repeated midway through the second period.. By that point it had been a pretty unremarkable match, NEC, with former Dunfermline player Jack De Gier now a coach at the club, proving that although they had finished a disappointing 13th in the Eredivisie last season, they retained the skills which had taken them to the last 32 of the Europa League the year before. Like Heracles, NEC showed they were just as well versed in retaining possession, composure on the ball and with an enerring ability to find a team-mate.

For their part, Hibs, while retaining the 4-5-1 formation Hughes has adopted thus far in the Netherlands, presumably with thE forthcoming away tie in the Europa Cup in mind, leaving Nish to operate as a lone striker, looked far more comfortable despite the strength-sapping heat, particularly when Dutch signing Edwin de Graaf drifted in from the right touchline into a more central role where he was able to exert more influence.

Even so, it remained very much cat-and-moouse, both sides probing and prodding for an opening which rarely presented itself although a neat lay-off from Nish provided De Graaf with a half-chance which, typically, quickly disappeared as he was engulfed by a sea of black shirts. Nish did have the ball in the net in the 63rd minute following a powerful run from Murray but the offside flag was against him But it did count ten minutes later as Riordan, who had replaced Nish, stepped up to put the finishing touch to a much-improved Hibs display.

NEC Nijmegen: Babos, Zomer, Van Eijden, Nuytinck, Zimling, Schone, Sibum, Vleminckx, Will, Goossens, Latupeirissa. Subs: Amieux, Otten, Ten Voorde, Wellenberg, Cillessen, Grootfaam.

Hibernian: Stack, Hart (Thicot 70), Hogg, Hanlon (Stephens 70), Murray (Stevenson 70), De Graaf, Miller (Galbraith 75), McBride, Rankin (Riordan 63), Wotherspoon (Currie 70), Nish (Stokes 63), Subs unused: Brown.