Hibernian 3 - 3 Dundee United: Own goal wakes Hibs up before Agogo goes solo to grab point

With Aberdeen and Inverness both losing, Hibs are now third from bottom, but that is way too far down the league for their fans’ liking, and their home results are killing them.

“We got out of the fire today,” said manager Colin Calderwood afterwards, “but we need to get a home victory.”

Ten home victories by the end of the season would be satisfactory, according to Calderwood, but he admits his men have made a “stuttering start” towards that target, with no wins in four SPL matches.

Scotland manager Craig Levein was in the stand, presumably to keep tabs on the likes of Danny Swanson and Garry O’Connor, and he will have liked what he saw from those two. He also saw a thoroughly-entertaining football match and credit to all involved. Six goals, plenty of end-to-end football, some of it even with a sufficiency of quality, and no end of effort.

That being said, it would be best to ignore the first 20 minutes. Both sides moved the ball around the park well enough, with some of the passing of Hibs in particular quite delightful, but when they approached the danger area the players became like climbers on Everest suddenly realising they’ve left their oxygen masks in the tent. Giddiness set in, and how the match needed thought and intelligence.

In that opening spell, United had the better chances, Swanson missing one sitter when the ball broke to him and he could not control his effort, before O’Connor ran down the left and fired in a low cross-shot which Dusan Pernis stooped low to tip behind.

When someone eventually did the obvious thing and took their time to hit a well-constructed pass, the result was a cracking goal after 22 minutes.

Junior Agogo was the supplier of an adroit through ball which O’Connor chased, knocked beyond Pernis and then somehow speared into the empty net from a highly acute angle.

Their midfield far superior, United came hurtling back, with a mess-up by Agogo coming before a Rankin and Swanson interchange ended with a shot that Stack could only parry out to Jon Daly, the United captain making no mistake from close range.

The visitors were rampant now, and four minutes later a superb defence splitting pass by Rankin put Swanson clear and he stroked the ball home with aplomb.

Ivan Sproule came on at half-time for David Wotherspoon and Hibs immediately began to threaten more up front. Unfortunately for them, they forgot to close the door at the back and Swanson should have done better when clean through, rather than shoot straight at Stack.

Hibs threatened occasionally, Leigh Griffiths shooting wide from a good position in the United area, but it was the visitors who went further ahead in the 68th minute when Paul Dixon’s cross was headed home by Daly, just a minute or so after the United skipper had been booked.

The Hibs fans could have been forgiven for thinking “same old, same old” but even though some players were clearly tired from their midweek efforts, Lady Luck was with the home side and she turned the game after 72 minutes.

Isaiah Osbourne’s shot into a crowded six-yard box was going to be cleared until Scott Robertson stuck out a boot and deflected the ball past the stranded Pernis.

A little more than 60 seconds later and the match was all square, this time O’Connor being the provider as his through pass saw Agogo leave Gavin Gunning in his wake, the Ghanaian crowning his best performance for Hibs with a fine shot low past Pernis.