Rankin says celebrations prove Hibs have piles of spirit

Published on Tuesday 18 November 2008 08:47

STEVEN FLETCHER found himself buried under a mound of his team-mates after his last-gasp goal capped a stunning fightback for a Hibs side under threat of losing a third match in eight days.

The fact his goal had merely salvaged a point rather than earned a much-needed victory for Mixu Paatelainen's under-fire side was momentarily forgotten amid the euphoria and relief which coursed round Easter Road.

But midfielder John Rankin claimed today the wild celebrations provided not only a release valve for all the pent-up frustrations which had mounted in recent weeks but proof of the spirit which burns fiercely within the dressing-room.

Conceding that their current run of six matches without a win wasn't a particularly impressive record, Rankin insisted it would have been a "travesty" had Hibs fallen to another defeat.

He said: "Not losing was a massive relief to be honest, but I thought we should have won the game quite comfortably with the amount of possession and chances we created but did not take.

"I felt we controlled the game for the full 90 minutes and it would have been a travesty had we lost."

Defeat, however, was staring Paatelainen's players in the face once more after they conceded what the Hibs boss described as "stupid goals", the headers from Darren Mackie and Zander Diamond coming, as had Darren Dods and Francisco Sandaza's strikes at Tannadice only a few days earlier, from set-pieces.

Mackie's goal in particular was inexplicable, Hibs skipper Rob Jones ducking under Sone Aluko's free-kick to allow the youngster the easiest of tasks to nod the ball beyond the stranded Andy McNeil. While Jones admitted his culpability afterwards, Rankin today revealed there remained a question over a mystery shout which prompted the big defender to act as he had.

He said: "I think Rob heard a shout although Andy is adamant it didn't come from him. We don't know who shouted."

Rankin's version of events leaves the question hanging as to whether an Aberdeen player had been cute enough to cause confusion in the centre of Hibs defence with a shout of his own, but even so the Easter Road star felt he and his team-mates were capable of overcoming that setback after the interval.

Hibs, however, were left with a mountain to climb as Diamond jumped to meet Aluko's corner to double the Dons lead, leaving Paatelainen's players in the same position as they had been the previous week against Rankin's former club Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

But on this occasion Jones atoned somewhat for his mistake, powering home a header for his first goal in 18 months and, as importantly, with 28 minutes remaining.

Rankin said: "We came out at the start of the second half believing we were going to score one then two and with the players we have there's always every chance we can do that. So, to lose a second when we did was a huge kick where it hurts and the fact we'd again lost goals from set-pieces was very disappointing.

"We weren't in a great position but the fans were terrific, I think they knew we needed a lift and got right behind us."

Despite Rankin's belief that the game wasn't beyond Hibs, it appeared time was running out as the three minutes added by referee Stevie O'Reilly ebbed away only for Fletcher to claim his fifth goal of the season with, literally, the last kick of the match.

Even so, it seemed an eternity for Rankin who saw his shot from outside the penalty area deflected into the path of Sol Bamba only for Aberdeen goalkeeper Jamie Langfield to pull off a remarkable save, the ball falling for the Scotland striker who squeezed it in off the post.

Rankin said: "Against Dundee United Colin Nish had a tremendous shot saved by the goalkeeper, then they went up the other end and scored. It looked as if we weren't going to get the break again when Langfield stopped Sol's shot.

"Luckily it fell for Fletch and it was a vital one for us. We knew all right that the game was very close to ending, the clock had stopped on the 90 minutes but you have to put that out of your mind and concentrate on keeping going right to the finish.

"I have to admit I didn't think it was going to happen when I saw the ball bouncing around after my shot and then Sol's but maybe it was just the sort of break we have needed and now, with a little bit of luck, we can hopefully start to push ourselves back up the table.

"We have to remember, of course, that this was only a draw at home but I think the way it came about has given everyone a bit of a lift as you could see with all the players celebrating in that far corner."

Hibs' recent run had, unsurprisingly, turned the focus of attention on Paatelainen, the Finn's team selection, formations and tactics coming in for close scrutiny – and criticism – in some quarters.

Rankin, however, insisted no-one within thedressing-room had questioned Paatelainen's decisions, although Hibs looked far more comfortable in the 4-4-2 formation adopted against the Dons rather than the 4-3-3 previously favoured by the Hibs boss.

He said: "To be honest, I've not been reading the newspapers. We've been trying to get it together because we all believe in what we are trying to do. It's just been a case of things not going for us but we know we have to dig deep.

"After the Dundee United game the manager said he knew we had put everything into the game and hadn't got the breaks. We are all 100 per cent behind him and he is right behind us.

"We were all a bit down last Thursday following what happened at Tannadice but to come back from being two goals down on the back of that shows the fighting spirit we all have."