Kilmarnock 4 - 1 Hibs: defensive frailties haunt Hibs

Paul Heffernan struck twice as Kilmarnock overwhelmed Hibs by 4-1 at Rugby Park.

- James Dayton (right) scores a terrific free-kick for Kilmarnock

Killie's first win of the season pushed them to fourth in the table, while some shaky defending by Hibs put paid to their promising start to the campaign.

Garry O'Connor, having scored in the final minute of Hibs' last SPL outing at Inverness, was almost off the mark in the first sixty seconds, hitting the side-netting as the cavalier visitors made the early running.

Despite the Edinburgh side's bright start, it was Kilmarnock who struck with an early opening goal. Just three minutes had elapsed when the English striker latched onto a long ball from the right and advanced into the box before nutmegging Graham Stack with a low drive.

Hibs drew level within an otherwise eventless next ten minutes. David Wotherspoon fed O'Connor from the flank, and the Hibs No. 9 drifted inside from the left edge of the penalty area and breezed past Danny Buijs before scooping, with the outside of his right boot at an acute angle, an unorthodox looping effort beyond Cammy Bell into the far corner. Cue an eruption of joy from the 300 or so Hibees seated at the opposite end.

Any optimism among the away support would have been short-lived, though, as Kilmarnock were back in the ascendancy immediately after conceding the equaliser, with Heffernan continuing to carry the main threat.

At the other end, Sproule and Wotherspoon, patrolling opposing flanks for the visitors, made only infrequent bursts beyond the Kilmarnock full-backs and Hibs rarely came within sight of Bell's goal.

Kilmarnock threatened more often, but Stack, despite a shaky display, did enough to keep out the hosts. The Irish international goalkeeper was helpless, however, as team mate Paul Hanlon turned the ball into his own net five minutes before the break to restore Killie's advantage.

James Dayton sent a low, hard hopeful ball from the right side deep into the six yard box, and Hanlon, in an impulsive effort to clear the ball, could sclaff the ball from his station on the near post past Stack.

Killie extended their lead to 3-1 on 66 minutes after Wotherspoon sent Buijs tumblling twenty yards out. Dayton swung the subsequent free-kick over the wall and into the top right-hand corner past Stack.

Buijs helped create another Killie goal five minutes later as Hibs youthful backline accentuated its collective lack of experience. The Dutch wideman picked out Heffernan with a cross from the right, and the buzzbomb Killie centre forward ghosted beyond Stephens and met the ball perfectly at waist height, crashing a fourth past the despairing Stack.

Heffernan spurned the chance of a hat-trick when he sent Dean Shiels' low centre over a gaping goal from seven yards in the dying minutes, but Killie were already on their way to an emphatic first win for new manager Kenny Shiels.

Kilmarnock: Bell; McKeown, Kroca, O'Leary, Buijs; Silva (Galan 72), Harkins (Shiels 62), Pascali, Kelly, Dayton (Fowler 81); Heffernan.

Subs not used: Jaakola, Clancy, Hay, Fisher.

Hibernian: Stack; Booth, Hanlon, Stephens, Palsson; Wotherspoon (Airey 72), Thornhill (Osbourne 46), Stevenson (Agogo 46), Murray, Sproule; O'Connor.

Subs not used: Brown, De Graaf, Galbraith, Scott.

Attendance: 4182

Bookings: Hibs - Wotherspoon, Booth, Sproule.

Referee: Steven McLean.