Hibs’ season gets a welcome boost with shootout glory at Motherwell

GOALKEEPER Mark Brown earned Hibs a place in the last eight of the League Cup and provided his manager Colin Calderwood with much needed breathing space as they overcame Motherwell on penalties in an absorbing third round tie.

Brown was the scourge of his former club in a 16-kick shoot-out, saving from Jamie Murphy and Nicky Law as the visitors put their miserable SPL form behind them and deservedly emerged triumphant from a tumultuous encounter. Leading through Garry O’Connor’s 20th minute goal, Hibs were punished for a wretched final 20 minutes of the first half as goals from Keith Lasley and Michael Higdon put Motherwell in front. But O’Connor’s second goal of the night, his seventh since rejoining the Easter Road club, was just reward for a largely dominant second half display from Hibs.

O’Connor, Victor Palsson, Junior Agogo, Leigh Griffiths, Sean O’Hanlon, David Wotherspoon and Richie Towell converted penalties, only Calum Booth failing as his effort was saved, as Hibs secured the right outcome in nerve-shredding fashion for their small but jubilant travelling support.

If anything can provide Hibs supporters with even mild optimism for the short term future of their team during such a bleak spell, it is the front pairing of O’Connor and Griffiths. Before Calderwood’s men lost their way badly, they looked the more threatening thanks to the pace and movement of the strike duo.

Griffiths should have put Hibs ahead inside two minutes when his run behind the Motherwell defence was picked out by Martin Scott’s pass. Darren Randolph raced out to make a good blocking save but it was an opportunity the Scotland under-21 international would have expected to convert.

Griffiths was the livelies performer on view during a generally tepid opening 20 minutes and he played his part in the goal which gave Hibs a lead they deserved at that stage. Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan was unable to impede Griffiths’ surge down the right and the forward delivered a tremendous low cross into the path of O’Connor who had gambled with a well timed run which took him clear inside the penalty area. With Randolph static and helpless, O’Connor beat him with a firm first time shot from around eight yards.

With Motherwell struggling to justify the faith of manager Stuart McCall, who had given an unchanged line-up the opportunity to make amends for Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by St Johnstone, the visitors might easily have doubled their lead two minutes later. Griffiths again found space behind the hesitant home defence but his left foot shot from around 14 yards was clawed away one-handed by Randolph.

Brown made his first excellent save of the night at the feet of Nicky Law but was unable to consistently deny a sustained period of pressure. Motherwell equalised on the half hour, Michael Higdon knocking down Tom Hateley’s right wing corner for Keith Lasley to stab a right foot shot beyond Brown’s right hand from just inside the penalty area. The confidence provided by O’Connor’s goal seemed to visibly drain from the Hibs players at that moment and Brown made a magnificent diving stop to divert Law’s long range shot behind. Motherwell were not to be denied the lead, however, and seized it five minutes from the interval. Lasley and Law combined to create the opening for Higdon who steered a precise right foot shot low beyond Brown from 18 yards.

Further saves to deny Jamie Murphy and Higdon prevented Motherwell from taking a firmer grip on the tie before the interval, leaving Calderwood with much to ponder. He responded by introducing Danny Galbraith for the ineffective Ivan Sproule at the start of the second half. The switch succeeding in providing better balance and greater impetus to Hibs in the attacking third of the pitch and it was Randolph who became the busier goalkeeper as the visitors pushed hard for an equaliser.

Scott was first to test him during a spell which gave the travelling fans some encouragement, the midfielder’s left foot shot from the edge of the penalty area beaten away by Randolph.

Griffiths then tried his luck from distance, his sweetly struck effort looking a likely counter all the way until Randolph stuck out a hand to keep it out down low at his right hand post. The O’Connor-Griffiths combination continued to keep the Motherwell defence fully occupied, the former feeding the latter to carve out Hibs’ next chance. Griffiths eluded Tim Clancy with ease but saw his shot again kept out by Randolph.

Hibs had the ball in the net in the 66th minute when Griffiths punished hesitancy in the home defence to set up O’Connor but the big striker clearly used a hand as he bundled home from close range, earning him the first booking of the night.

O’Connor used legitimate means to secure Hibs their 87th minute equaliser, the least they merited for their second-half display. Latching onto Griffiths’ pass, he burst clear and calmly slotted a low right foot shot under Randolph.

Motherwell: Randolph, Hateley, Clancy, Craigan, Hammell; Humphrey, Jennings, Lasley, Law; Murphy, Higdon. Subs: Hollis, McHugh, Daley, Forbes, Page.

Hibernian: Brown, Towell, O’Hanlon, Hanlon, Murray; Wotherspoon, Scott, Palsson, Sproule; O’Connor, Griffiths. Subs: Stack, Booth, Galbraith, Agogo, Sodje.