Hibs 2-0 St Mirren: Hibs finally break goal curse

The relief which greeted Derek Riordan's strike, the Easter Road side's first of 2011 was so intense you could almost reach out and touch it.

But even that was nothing compared to the roar which greeted a second goal from David Wotherspoon deep into added-on time, the youngster's stunning shot securing boss Colin Calderwood's first victory in 13 matches.

And few could blame the supporters for the scenes of unconfined joy which greeted the final blast of referee Mike Tumilty's whistle, almost three months of suffering had been put to an end, a run which had seen Hibs slip ominously towards the relegation zone with just two points from a possible 30, crash out of the Scottish Cup and go more than seven-and-a-half games without a solitary goal.

This victory won't win Hibs any prizes, the chances of those this season have disappeared, but it did, at least, bring some light at the end of what has been a long, dark and seemingly endless tunnel of despair.

While much work remains to be done, as Calderwood immediately acknowledged, the manager, players and fans alike can, for the time being, enjoy their moment of triumph, one which saw them leapfrog last night's opponents St Mirren and once more open up a five-point gap on basement outfit Hamilton ,although the Accies do still have two matches in hand.

Whether this results signals the start of better days to come or again prove to be no more than a false dawn, time alone will tell but there was certainly a steely determination among the players from first whistle to last, almost as if the predicament they were in and the consequences which might befall them had finally hit home.

Calderwood, of course, had been operating with the squad he had inherited from his predecessor John Hughes, the same players who, by and large, had spent much of 2010 struggling for positive results despite finishing fourth last season and clinching a place in the Europa League.

It wasn't until the January transfer window opened that Calderwood was able to begin reshaping to his own liking, virtually three weeks of frustration as his attempts to bring in new faces faltered until, finally, a rash of signings, six in all, arrived in the last few days before Monday night's deadline.

Last night presented most supporters with their first chance to cast an eye over most of them, Matt Thornhill, Victor Palsson and Akpo Sodje, snapped up with only hours to spare, made their home debuts, Calderwood insisting that given Hibs' problems, each an every one of them would "have to take the bull by the horns" and hit the ground running.

If, perhaps, some of Calderwood's signings were greeted with a degree of scepticism, then those reservations will have been dispelled to a great extent by the contribution each made, Thornhill and Palsson adding much-needed bite and drive in midfield while Sodje, if a little impetuous when presented with an opportunity to shoot, made the most of his 6ft 2in frame as he led the line to decent effect.

And with Richie Towell turning in another tidy performance at right-back, Calderwood, who revealed Martin Scott had been denied a home debut through illness, can be pretty well satisfied with his dealings with the hope that former Hearts, Wigan and Rangers defender Andy Webster may yet be added to that number.

Calderwood agreed the new faces had given the club a lift, saying: "They've had a fantastic experience of Easter Road. Not too many of them knew too much about the club or the situation so they came in with that sort of freshness and no fear.

"The things I liked about them is they looked as if they want to make a stamp on it, to give it a go right from the start, to join the rest of the boys and to help everyone get out of the trouble we are in.

"There's certainly more to come from Thornhill, he's short of fitness because of the lay-off he's had and, in fact, I think there is more to come from all of them once they begin to understand each other's play a little bit."

Understandably, Hibs looked nervous at times but, for once, they didn't concede the first goal, something they haven't done since thumping Rangers 3-0 at Ibrox in early November, Calderwood having insisted throughout that lengthy run that taking the lead would help transform his side.

Although the Edinburgh club dominated throughout the first half, denied a goal as Saints goalkeeper Paul Gallacher thrust out a foot to stop Towell's deflected shot, the anxiety was always going to remain as long as the game remained scoreless.

It may have taken a little longer than they might have hoped for, but Riordan - who else? - made that all-important breakthrough in the 63rd minute, Sodje playing his part as he flicked the ball on after Ian Murray had returned a clearance into the danger area, the striker expertly dispatching his ninth goal of the season past Gallacher.

Hibs might have increased their lead on more than one occasion, Colin Nish finding the ball tangled between his feet after fellow substitute Liam Miller and played him in and then watching in agony as his header back across goal grazed the far post with Gallacher beaten before the goalkeeper did well to push away another Riordan effort.

As fourth official John Beaton held aloft the board declaring three added minutes there was a collective intake of breath, every Hibs fan aware there was still time to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory but Wotherspoon finally put them out of their agony with only his second goal for the club - his first having come against the Buddies on his debut nearly 18 months ago.

While inwardly he must have been thrilled, Calderwood, who has found himself under intense pressure and increasing speculation as to his own future, turned the praise on his players saying: "I am delighted for the group, they are the ones who have been under the spotlight and with question marks hanging over them. I think the experience they have had of the bad experience certainly got them to dig in a bit. It was nervy on occasions but there was a nice feeling in the dressing room as you would imagine."

Calderwood, however, insisted Hibs weren't out of the woods yet, adding: "I have always said you have to do it for a longer run than one or two games. It's the stop to a slide, then you hope it's a start. But that will be determined on what we do in the next game, the one thereafter and the one after that."