There were changes to the Saints line up, with Billy Mehmet replacing Stewart Kean as expected. Richard Brittain replacing Alan Reid wasn't too much of a shock either. What was a surprise was Iain Maxwell replacing Kevin McGowne in the starting lineup. Was he injured? Who knew.
Hibs might have a decent side, but they also have some divers. Abdessalam Benjelloun dived inside two minutes and got away with it, but team mates Dean Shiels and Ivan Sproule weren't quite so lucky, both being booked for going down theaterically in the first half. Referee Stuart Dougal got both decisions absolutely spot on.
Hibs threatened mainly from set pieces in the first half, with the Moroccan Merouane Zemmana taking most of them. Some free kicks went wide, some were saved, whilst nothing really happened from the corners.
Aside from the set pieces, Sproule fizzed a dangerous cross across the face of goal, whilst Benjelloun shot wide after Simon Lappin gave away possession in midfield.
Saints had hardly threatened in the first half, with shots being blocked or chances not even being created. However, that all changed five minutes from the break. The ball was played out to David van Zanten, before he controlled it and fired an unstoppable volley over Hibs keeper Zbigniew Malkowski (from now on he shall be known as the Hibs goalkeeper) and down into the back of the net. A superb effort, one that most folk probably thought was going about five rows back into the stand.
It was enough for a half time lead, but just before it Maxwell limped off with injury and was replaced by Alan Reid. John Sutton could have doubled the advantage just after the break when he collected a loose ball before lashing a shot with his left foot just over the bar.
Hibs had brought a good support and it was great to see them backing their manager's decisions. Such as when he replaced Shiels with Steven Fletcher and a chorus of boos errupted from the away fans. Nice one lads!
Killen and Shelton Martis both had headers over at free kicks before Sutton had a volley saved by the Hibs goalkeeper. Fletcher had yet to make an impact by this point but another sub, Stephen Glass, nearly did when he played in Benjelloun, who turned and shot. However, Saints keeper Tony Bullock was in top form and he somehow tipped the ball away to keep Saints ahead.
Mark Corcoran was then brought on for the poor Mehmet and he immediately caused problems, firing a shot at the Hibs goalkeeper. The Hibs keeper then nearly got himself sent off when he charged out of the box to clear a loose ball. He may have used a hand, however Dougal decided otherwise and didn't send him off. Pity.
Hibs were still winning free kicks and doing nothing with them, and Corcoran almost sealed the win when he hit a hard shot that the Hibs keeper palmed behind for a corner. He then tried his luck at the other end, coming up for a corner, but it was cleared. Sadly, no Saints player was brave enough to shoot.
So, a very welcome three points and our first home win in the league since the start of August. Pity it's now another fortnight until the next game, although hopefully that will allow players to overcome injuries.