Hibs 1-1 St Mirren: Plenty of spills, short on thrills

With Easter Road little more than a third full, there was scant quality on offer to entice many additional fans to Hibs' remaining two home games of the season as second-bottom St Mirren left with a precious point from a 1-1 draw.

Akpo Sodje was again the man to provide the glimmer of happiness for the Hibs fans - just 7000 of them- as he hit his third goal in as many games to open the scoring against Saints on 25 minutes.

Visiting striker Craig Dargo levelled from the penalty spot shortly before half time after Victor Palsson's nudge on Paul McGowan, but the Paisley side were left to rue a squandered late effort - only their second on target in the game - as Gareth Wardlaw headed directly at Hibs goalkeeper Mark Brown from six yards out.

Home boss Colin Calderwood admitted St Mirren's play merited the three points. "I don't think we deserved any more," said the 46-year-old manager. "A moment of quality gave us the goal, but they worked it very well - credit to them.

"As contentious as the penalty was, they deserved the goal for the way they played."

"They would claim they deserved three (points] more than one and they certainly deserved their one, so there's an element of fairness in the result."

In a game where the different objectives of two teams at either end of the bottom six were the most likely talking point, there was no sub-plot so compelling as the duel for midfield supremacy between Palsson and Jim Goodwin, two midfield anchors but exponents of a very different type of play. Palsson's natural creativity was stifled by the Saints man's combative approach, and both were withdrawn at the behest of their managers in the second half. As Calderwood joked of Palsson: "I think he'd have been coming off one way or the other - stretchered off, sent off, or substituted. We took the easiest option."

Palsson reacted to a crunching Goodwin tackle on 18 minutes by sliding in recklessly on his nemesis five minutes later as the Saints man strode forward from deep, the Icelandic midfielder earning a yellow card.

A minute later, Goodwin savoured another meaty challenge with his Hibs counterpart where, again, he gained the favourable outcome - this time winning a throw-in. The Paisley midfield anchor revelled in his role as pantomime villain, lapping up the requisite jeering from the crowd and finding great joy in gloating to Palsson every time he emerged on top from a one-on-one clash. The smirk was to be wiped off his face seconds before the break when a Riordan strike from 25 yards arrowed towards his face, the chorus of calls by the home support for a handball - later rendered justifed by Goodwin himself - only added to the general feeling of antipathy towards the player by the Hibs faithful.

Just as Goodwin had been certifiably cast by the Leith locals as the bad guy, his midfield team mate Hugh Murray played the good guy - at least in the eyes of home fans - on 25 minutes by gifting Hibs possession before watching as the hosts opened the lead.

Murray let a simple square pass squirm under his feet, and Riordan seized possession just inside the St Mirren half before spotting the run of Sodje and launching the ball forward. The Hibs attacker required little pace or strength to hold off the nearest St Mirren defender before a scrappy strike of a ball on the bounce just inside the box beat Paul Gallacher at the right-hand post.

Riordan almost chalked up two assists in close succession as Hibs pressed the Saints goal. Ten minutes later, Booth, on the left side of the edge of the penalty area, fed the home No.10 who, from the byline, instantly picked out Liam Miller to the left of the penalty spot only to see the midfielder's subsequent shot fly well over the crossbar.

Up until the 39-minute mark, St Mirren had probed the Hibs defence without ever troubling Mark Brown, and any breakthrough looked like it may emanate from the lively front pair of Dargo and Kenneth McLean. Instead, it was McGowan who drew the somewhat soft challenge of Palsson to win the penalty. As referee Alan Muir saw it, the Saints midfield man was clipped as the two players jostled for a ball just inside the box.

Calderwood said, "If you see it again, (Victor] is pulling out the challenge - it's not a cast iron penalty, but it was given and we have to accept it.

"A wee bit of experience in terms of body shape and body language and going to make the challenge. It allowed the referee to make a decision - there was obviously a bit of contact."

Dargo silenced Easter Road's best attempts to put him off by executing a straightforward spot-kick to Brown's left as the goalkeeper chose right. A further instalment of the Palsson-Goodwin grudge match was played out just a minute into the second half, the Saints man fairly winning a header - not appearing to lead with his elbow - but managing to fell his Hibs foe, who lay grounded for a couple of minutes. Upon re-entering play, Palsson pointed an accusing finger towards his smiling assailant as if to suggest that the pair's on field quarrel was far from over. Moments later, during a lull in proceedings, the former Liverpool youth clearly indicated to referee Muir that Goodwin's flying elbow had gone unnoticed during the incident. Goodwin's job was complete and the threat of Palsson removed nine minutes into the second half when Hibs boss Calderwood took the wise decision to withdraw Palsson - usually one of his sides more creative players but far too reactionary to remain effective on the day - to be replaced by club captain Ian Murray.

Soon after, Saints' hatchet man shifted his attentions from Palsson and - latterly - Sodje to Hibs midfielder Liam Miller and promptly earned a yellow card for a late challenge on the Irishman. The main battle was won in midfield, and the triumphant Goodwin took the plaudits from both managers and home skipper Murray at full time. The focus shifted momentarily from the absorbing contest in the middle of the pitch on 84 minutes, by which time Goodwin had been subbed himself, as Wardlaw beat Murray to a Saints corner from the right but nodded his effort straight at Brown from six yards.