Ofir Marciano hits top form as Hibs face key run of games

With games against Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen in the space of six days, there is no doubt that Hibernian are about to enter the toughest stretch of their 2017-18 Ladbrokes Premiership campaign, one which will probably go a long way to defining their season.

Partick Thistle's Adam Barton scores an own goal which give Hibernian their victory. Picture: SNS.

Thankfully for Neil Lennon and his side, the one player who’s likely going to be tested more than any other, goalkeeper Ofir Marciano, is entering the triple-header in fine form.

Saturday’s victory at Partick Thistle wasn’t the greatest of spectacles, though it had its moments. Each team went back and forth in a lively opening 20 minutes, while a ten-minute spell during the second period saw chances at either end.

Otherwise, the game suffered sustained lulls in activity, and Adam Barton’s own-goal was enough to separate the sides.

While Thistle will feel they should have been more clinical with the few opportunities they created, they were thwarted in their efforts to claim a point by a rejuvenated Marciano.

The 28-year-old was equal to a free-kick from Blair Spittal before having to repel a close-range shot from Chris Erskine within the space of 60 first-half seconds. Then, after the goal, he had to show quick reflexes to shift his legs one way as his body went in the other direction to deny Kris Doolan an equaliser.

It’s the third time in the past five games that Hibs have been thankful for their No 1 in helping them to secure victory after he pulled off some miraculous stops in the wins over Kilmarnock and Dundee.

Having missed September’s draw with Celtic due to Yom Kippur, Marciano was then absent again following the birth of his son, Sun.

His early season form had not matched the standard of his Championship displays, and there was a possibility that deputy Ross Laidlaw would take the gloves on a full-time basis.

However, Laidlaw’s errors in the Betfred Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic saw Marciano return and he’s not looked back since.

“When I was out of the team I still felt confident,” he said. “I couldn’t play against Celtic and then my wife gave birth but I got great support from the club and I worked hard to get back to my best.

“I was working with the goalkeeping coach [Alan Combe] on making the kind of saves I made in the [Thistle] game.

“As a goalkeeper, you need to prepare for everything and you need to be stable. I did that and I saved the ball with my feet and I’m happy that I had a little bit of luck.”

Such fortune evaded his opposite number Tomas Cerny, as the Czech slipped at the vital moment as he attempted to push clear Barton’s header. The loss leaves Thistle four points adrift at the bottom, though they have some winnable fixtures against bottom-six sides Kilmarnock, Dundee and Hamilton on the horizon.

Cerny said: “There’s many games still to play and we must prepare. The performance was very positive and if we perform like that in every match we will pick up points.”