St Mirren 1-1 Hibs extras: Bad tackle on Jim Goodwin, defender back to his best, card-happy referee
Man of the match: In a game low on quality, partly due to the poor weather conditions, Darren McGregor shone. The 36-year-old centre-half has struggled this season, flitting in and out of the Hibs team, but he partnered Ryan Porteous at the SMISA Stadium and barely put a foot wrong all afternoon. He won nearly all of his aerial duels and looked the most secure of the Hibs backline.
Letdown: Kevin Nisbet’s performance as Hibs’ main striker. The Scotland internationalist missed a very good header from point-blank range in the first half. Such a display is infuriating because of the high standards he is capable of. Hibs need him to find his shooting boots on a consistent basis.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTurning point: St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin ordered more players forward with ten minutes to go and while it left them very exposed at the back, the gamble paid off with centre-half Joe Shaughnessy popping up with the equaliser.
Referee watch: Argh, Kevin Clancy! For such an experienced official, he did not need to book Alan Power so early on for a tackle that he deemed dangerous but the rest of us did not. That seventh-minute caution set the tone and he ended up dishing out eight cards in a match that was far from dirty.
Gave us a giggle: Midway through the second half, Nisbet tried to keep the ball in next to the St Mirren technical area, but succeeded only in wiping out Goodwin with a challenge that the Saints boss would have been proud of back in the day. Fortunately, Goodwin saw the funny side of it!
