Here's a few wee tips for Danny Lennon. When you are the home team you are allowed, perhaps even expected, to attack. When nearly 3,000 fans can see things aren't working, try changing things with your subs - preferably with more than 10 minutes left. Do not replace one defensive midfielder with another and certainly do not sit in and cling on for a point. Apart from anything else, we have repeatedly proven we can't do it.
We created little in the first half, even less in the second and were playing for a draw with half an hour left. Hibs were there for the taking and they didn't create a great deal either. However, they created a lot more than us and it was no surprise that they eventually found a winner. Once again a set-piece, combined with poor defending, was our undoing.
If we go down, we can have no complaints. We are playing for draws in every game and if we don't go for a win against a team as bad as Hibs, we aren't going to go for it against anyone. The recent performances have been a disgrace and it is no surprise we are where we are. The only way we will stay up is if Hamilton don't improve as we certainly aren't going to drag ourselves out of this.
It was no surprise to see Jure Travner return to the side after his excellent showing last week. Despite the midfield faring pretty well last week there was also a return for Jim Goodwin, meaning it wasn't exactly the most attacking line-up ever seen. David van Zanten and Lee Mair were the men dropping out. Jamie McCluskey was out of the side completely, no doubt pleasing a few of our fans after his antics during the earlier Old Firm game. The attacking Hibs threat came from Akpo Sodje and Derek Riordan, with Liam Miller and Martin Scott likely to cause problems from the middle of the park.
But it was a Travner corner that caused the first problem in the game as Goodwin met it at the near post only to flick it wide. Balls over the top were our downfall last week but when we tried one of our own we found the Hubs defence similarly static, but there were no takers for Paul McGowan's cross and Hugh Murray saw his attempt to divert the loose ball home blocked.
We were presented some amusement when the predictable announcement for everyone to sit down was met by all the Hibs fans and around a third of the West Bank getting to their feet. The visiting fans had a genuine reason to stand seconds later when Martin Scott got onto the end of David Wotherspoon's cross only to hit the post with his header.
The standing announcement was the extent of the excitement for 10 minutes or so until Riordan smashed a shot narrowly over following a neat lay-off from Liam Miller. That was followed by Higdon trying one of his wonder goal efforts that was never going in. It took us over half an hour to test Hibs goalie Graham Stack and even then you always felt he would comfortably catch McGowan's left footed drive. Riordan also fancied a goal of the season and promptly rattled the roof of the stand behind the goal.
Hibs went much closer as the half came to a close as McAusland got himself all shook up when he tried to clear a cross and pretty much missed it, allowing Scott to pounce. Fortunately he was unable to score - and fortunately Weatherspoon's next cross saw Scott hit the bar, rather than the net.
The start of the second half saw Travner taking a free-kick from roughly the position Weatherspoon had been in and he almost scored as his set-piece deceived everyone but Stack, who clawed it away. It's probably fair to say he didn't mean it! Riordan did mean to have a go with a free-kick from a Graham Carey-esque distance a few minutes later but it was well over - although much better than his shot at the end of the first half.
It was just a matter of time until he caught one cleanly and just before the hour mark he did. Gallacher appeared to have it covered but the ball squirmed out of his hands, thankfully only going behind than to a waiting Hibs player. From the corner Saints broke and McGowan sent Dargo through only for him to fail to trouble Stack or the goal from 20 yards.
As Dargo tired and we failed to see any of Travner's bombing runs forward, it was clear to see we needed to change things. However, as per usual there was no sign of any Saints subs despite the game clearly being there to win. With 20 minutes left Hibs introduced Lewis Stevenson at the expense of Miller as the looked to exploit the spaces that were beginning to open up at both ends of the park. His first meaningful involvement was to get booked for a late tackle on Thomson. Hibs then made another sub as Nish replaced Sodje before we finally made our first change as Paddy Cregg replaced Goodwin as we tried to dig in for a point.
Nish showed the sort of impact a sub can have when he produced a left foot volley that was deflected wide. From the corner we found our luck was in as Francis Dickoh sent a thunderbolt towards goal that Paul Gallacher somehow blocked on the line.
But we've been here enough times in the last 18 months to know how the story ends. Four minutes left, Hibs get a corner, Callum Booth crosses, Paul Hanlon heads it across and Dickoh gets up to head home. Three players in particular were at fault. John Potter was standing in front of Hanlon and still didn't win the header. Gallacher was running about lost in the six yard box. McAusland failed to challenge Dickoh.
But it would be harsh to single out players for this one. It was all down to the tactics, pure and simple. We didn't even change things around when we went a goal behind so it was no surprise we didn't even threaten Stack, who could have gone home after he saved Travner's free-kick.
A disappointing performance then, but it's quite simply down to the manager, his ineffectual tactics and his unwillingness to change things during games. If we had gone at Hibs then the late corners wouldn't have been an issue. Instead, we get deeper and deeper and are punished - again.
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