Erratic Hibs show good and bad sides

When will the real Hibernian stand up? Are they the free-flowing team who managed to retrieve the situation with two fine goals after going 2-0 behind on Saturday against St Mirren, or are they the defensively suspect outfit who got themselves into this desperate situation in the first place?

Hibs striker Christian Doidge heads home his 15th goal of the season to put the Easter Road side back on level terms against St Mirren on Saturday. Picture: Craig Foy/SNS

Right now, they are a bit of both. We know they can score goals. It’s keeping them out that threatens to derail their ambitions under Jack Ross. Hibs currently sit slightly isolated in sixth place – four points from Livingston above them and four points from Kilmarnock behind them. They face a trip to Ibrox on Wednesday.

Of course, the Easter Road side’s current blend of old and new will take time to gel. The identity of the opposition in midweek means Ross’s options are slightly restricted. Just as Rangers can not field Florian Kamberi, Hibs must go without Greg Dochery, who moved the other way in the loan exchange deal struck late on Friday evening and did so without managing to burn every bridge behind him en route.

It’s particularly frustrating for Docherty, who replaced Joe Newell shortly after half-time on Saturday for his first taste of Scottish league action since April 2018.

Anyone other than Rangers up next and he could be looking forward to a potential first start. He made a promising debut despite having met his new team-mates for the first time just hours earlier.

No such worries for Marc McNulty, of course. His loan move was concluded similarly late on Friday night after Hibs’ efforts to bring him in intensified as Kamberi’s move to Ibrox began to look ever more likely. Pitching him into the action the following day did not hold too many fears for Ross since the striker has played with the majority of his team-mates before after his spell on loan in the second half of last season.

One, indeed, even claims to have instructed Hibs to re-sign McNulty. Stephane Omeonga enjoyed playing with the striker last season and he suggested bringing him back when he himself returned on loan last month.

“I asked for it and they did it!” Omeonga, pictured, said after helping Hibs recover from 2-0 down with an assist for Christian Doidge’s equaliser. “So thank you Hibs!”

Omeonga is planning to provide more assists for both Doidge and McNulty and hopes to weigh in with a goal or two himself now he’s being used in the middle of the park. He has yet to score for Hibs.

“This Hibs team is more attacking than last season,” he said. “There is more freedom to get on the front foot and go forward. The manager is great in that he trusts us to play and knows that better games will come. Last year I played wide, usually on the left so it was quite different. The first thing I wanted this season was to contribute more to the attacking stats.”

With Doidge in such rich form and McNulty now gaining match fitness, Omeonga expects this new front pairing to be an effective one whenever they are on the pitch together. Doidge is someone McNulty does not know from his first stint at Easter Road. But there were some signs on Saturday that they can strike up a productive partnership.

“Obviously we lost Flo, which left us with just one striker,” said Omeonga. “It’s good to have some competition for each place in the team. Marc is a great player, he scored a lot of goals last season. If he does that again, we’ll all be happy.

“I see a good partnership with Marc and Doidge. They look good together. You could see that against St Mirren. They did well together. They still have to get to know each other but something good can happen there.”

They could not summon a goal when working in cahoots on Saturday, with McNulty entering the fray just before the hour mark for Daryl Horgan. St Mirren steadied themselves in the second half after throwing away the 2-0 lead established in the first 18 minutes after strikes from Conor McCarthy and Tony Andreu.

Scott Allan and Doidge, with his 15th goal of the season, had Hibs back on level terms by half-time but what a lot of effort to simply restore parity. Omeonga knows Hibs need to tighten up.

“There is a huge gap between us and the teams in the European places,” he said. “But I think we have to believe that we can win every game. That’s the only way. The priority is to find some balance. You can win some games, even on a bad day, if your team doesn’t concede goals.”