Hibs' knack of coming undone in Renfrewshire is a statistic needing to be broken

Early January 1999, to be exact, a time when Hibs were in the middle of an amazing run of 13 straight wins, a record which was to help them sweep to the First Division title, 23 points clear of second placed Falkirk.

Since then, however, trips to Renfrewshire have ended in a depressingly familiar fashion whether it be at the old Love Street or today at the Buddies new ground, St Mirren Park only a few hundred yards away.

No wins in almost 11 years is a record which, however, sounds worse than it actually is, Saints having missed out on top-flight football for a number of the intervening seasons but, nevertheless, you won't find anyone at Easter Road describing five draws and three defeats as anywhere approaching half-decent, far less impressive.

Contrast that statistic with the fact Hibs have won seven out of eight encounters in the same period at Easter Road and there's little wonder the green and white army has been left scratching it's collective head in bemusement once again, Craig Dargo's strike in the latest encounter not only earning new Saints boss Danny Lennon his first win but ending the Capital side's run of seven games without defeat against the Buddies.

That Dargo's effort was virtually St Mirren's only shot on target in the entire 90 minutes will do nothing more than add to their angst, the 12th conceded in just five competitive matches so far this season and, according to boss John Hughes, one so typically "Hibs," but one which he and the supporters have witnessed all too often.

Just picture it, a free-kick punted towards the edge of the penalty area, a head flick on and Dargo the first to react, ghosting in behind the statuesque figure of Steven Thicot to drill home the sort of poacher's goal which has earned him a living over the years.

"I'd take it any day," grinned Edinburgh boy Dargo, his goal having consigned Hibs to back-to-back defeats, leaving Hughes' side with just three points from their opening three games, a situation which has taken away much of the optimism raised by that promising start at Motherwell."A cheap goal to lose, but that's the goals we lose at Hibs," was Hughes' observation although, like most within the ground, the Easter Road boss could hardly have seen it coming given the way his players had dominated much of the game up until that point although they had only two Derek Riordan free-kicks to their name in terms of effort on Paul Gallacher's goal.

Gallacher watched one ripple the sidenetting before pushing the second round the post but thereafter the Saints goalkeeper had as little to do as his opposite number Mark Brown who was really only called into action to fish the ball from the back of his net.

For the second game running Hibs' much-vaunted attack, scorers of more than 50 goals between them last season, failed to register, the first time since February of 2009, a 2-0 defeat away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle and a 0-0 draw with Falkirk, the Edinburgh side had done so.

As a consequence, as Hibs skipper Chris Hogg admitted today, the Easter Road outfit find themselves under early pressure, viewing the forthcoming home fixtures against Inverness and Hamilton as "must-win" matches if they are to get their season back up and running.

The defender said: "It was another soft goal, a punt up the park, a flick on and the ball is in. The way they scored was the biggest disappointment, it's the sort of goal we need to stop conceding, but before then and even afterwards I don't think they really caused us too many problems.

"Don't get me wrong, they were a well-organised team with some good players but we were not good enough at the end of the day."

While still vulnerable to such lapses at the back, Hogg was also of the opinion Hibs "did not look too sharp at the other end" where Celtic target Anthony Stokes obviously had his impending move to Glasgow very much on his mind, so-much-so Hughes later admitted he'd made a mistake in fielding the Republic of Ireland striker in the first place.

Hogg, however, insisted the transfer speculation not only over Stokes but his defensive partner Sol Bamba, was no excuse, adamant such rumour and gossip shouldn't affect others in the dressing room.

He said: "I don't think it comes into play to be honest. Unless it is about you it doesn't really interest you in the slightest. I'm sure everything will be sorted out over the next couple of days and that the manager will be working hard to bring others in but as a professional you just get on with things.

"As a professional you do your job, you cannot let outside things influence you."

The start of the qualifying campaign for the European Championships will enforce a lull in hostilities on the domestic front for a fortnight, a chance to allow Hughes and his players to regroup although Hogg insisted he'd much prefer to have a game this weekend than be idle, particularly following two setbacks.

He said: "It's disappointing not to have a game for a fortnight, that's the worst thing for us, it has come at the wrong time because you look to going into these breaks with three points, not a defeat."

While Hughes offered the opinion that perhaps expectations needed to be lowered at Easter Road, arguing his team had possibly punched above their weight for much of last season, Hogg begged to differ although he agreed Hibs can't afford to take any games for granted. He said: "I think you need to have expectations in football.

"Last year we didn't set the heather on fire all season although in the first half we got ourselves into a decent position. But football clubs are all about expectations, it's up to us and the manager to deliver.

"However, since I have been at the club I've never approached a game thinking it will be easy and that we are going to win.

"People may expect you to go certain places and win but every team is well-organised, well-structured and has good players.

"The games against Inverness and Hamilton are massive for us but we have to do better than we did at St Mirren."