Hibs boss Shaun Maloney laments individual mistakes and profligacy in front of goal as he sets team fresh challenge ahead of trip to Rangers

Contributing to their own downfall with an error that gifted St Mirren their match-winning opportunity, Hibs manager Shaun Maloney believed his men had still enjoyed more than enough chances of their own and claimed they could have triumphed 5-1 had his players been more clinical.

“It’s a really disappointing result. For about 25 minutes in the second half we created more than enough to win the game and that’s the most frustrating thing,” said Maloney.

“The result has to be different. That’s the difference between taking your chances when you have them and being clinical.

“They had one chance from our throw-in that they take and it’s a really good finish. They had another action from a cross as well, but the result should have been very different and that’s what is disappointing.”

Hibs manager Shaun Maloney says his team created enough opportunities to defeat St Mirren and was disappointed to lose the game. Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

The Leith side had the incentive of leapfrogging Motherwell and moving into fourth spot but instead they stretched their run of league games without a win to five, taking two points from 15, with a trip to Ibrox awaiting them midweek.

“The biggest frustration is I feel we should have won it, the amount of chances we created and the way we limited them, the game should have been 3-1, 4-1, 5-1,” said Maloney.

“But in fairness to St Mirren as soon as you don;t score those last ten minutes becomes very hectic. But the game should have been very different. That’s football. If you’re not clinical you don’t win games.”

He refused to vilify Jake Doyle-Hayes, whose 62nd minute error allowed Irishman Connor Ronan to dispossess him and fire home the winner to enhance his hopes of an international call-up with Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny looking on.

“You know, players make mistakes and that is what happens. At the moment those mistakes are costing us. But that is what happens when other teams are clinical. But I will support Jake and he will play again on Wednesday. There’s no doubt about that.

“However many chances we create at Rangers, we have to be clinical. Against Celtic I was really pleased. We got beat 2-0 but the performance was at a good level. We didn’t create enough, though, so now the challenge is to try to dominate like we did at Celtic Park and create chances and take them.”

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