Ninth time lucky with ref Craig

Hibs will be hoping their luck takes a turn for the better on Sunday having lost all eight of their previous matches when Craig Thomson has been referee, scoring just one goal and conceding an astonishing 20.

Thomson, of course, was in charge of the Scottish Cup final in May when Pat Fenlon’s side were hammered by Hearts although the vast majority of Hibs fans believe the whistler was guilty of a bad mistake at a crucial stage.

With skipper James McPake having hauled Hibs back with a goal just before half-time, Thomson pointed to the penalty spot when midfielder Suso Santana tumbled under the challenge of Pa Kujabi only minutes after the interval.

There was little or no quibble that the little Gambian, having been booked in the first half, deserved a second yellow, but Hibs supporters maintain the incident took place outside the area, the spot-kick allowing Danny Grainger to fire Hearts into a 3-1 lead.

Only a few week earlier Hibs had lost 1-0 at home to Kilmarnock, Thomson having awarded a penalty while he also booked Leigh Griffiths for diving, a caution which ruled him out of the crunch relegation clash with Dunfermline and led Fenlon to say: “My players’ performance was very good. He [Thomson] has got to assess his.”

Thomson had also drawn the ire of Hibs earlier in the season at Pittodrie when he awarded a penalty as Aberdeen’s Peter Pawlett went down when tackled by Ivan Sproule, Dons hitman Scott Vernon scoring the only goal of the game although Pawlett later accepted a two-match ban having been accused of simulation by the SFA.

You have to go back to February last year to find the last match Hibs won when Thomson was ref, a 2-0 win over Inverness Caley.