Second Place is Only The First Part of the Job.

Hibs went into Saturday's game against what could be considered their bogey team, Falkirk (Hibs had not beaten Falkirk in four attempts prior to their win on Saturday), in pole position for second place.
The previous weekends victory against Alloa had left Hibs in a position where they could afford to lose, so long as Rangers didn't win at Tynecastle. Hibernian's superior goal difference effectively giving them a two point advantage over the Glasgow side.  A draw would only be enough for Rangers if Hibs lost heavily to Falkirk.

Three and a half thousand Hibs fans made their way west to Falkirk looking for a happy afternoon against a team that had left them with little to be joyful about all season. Falkirk were in the position of having nothing meaningful to play for in the final match. They had been pipped to fourth spot by Queen of the South, and are counting down the days to the Scottish Cup Final, which they reached (as we know) by triumphing against their final visitors.

Due to work commitments, I was limited to goal updates on Sky Sports. Fortunately, we have an abundance of screens showing Sky Sports in the office, so with the Hearts v Rangers game within viewing distance, I was able to keep up to date with what was going on there as well as at Falkirk.

The Hibs fans that did manage to get a ticket (Hibs sold out their allocation of tickets, requested more, then sold them out as well, and could have sold more still, such was the demand for the game) had their nerves calmed early on, when Martin 'Squirrel' Boyle burst forward and played a neat one-two with Scott Allan before firing a shot across Jamie McDonald to put Hibs a goal up with just a few minutes to spare.

So Hibs had made the first move, it was now up to Rangers to see if they could put some pressure on the Leith men, and sure enough - Rangers took the lead at Tynecastle. Shortly afterwards. Rangers would survive a penalty appeal when their goalkeeper looked like he fouled Osman Sow, who had earlier been booked for diving. Perhaps the referee considered it a case of 'the boy who cried wolf' or perhaps he missed the incident (or chose to ignore it), but the Rangers goalkeeper could consider himself very fortunate not to have conceded a penalty, which, if it had been given, would likely have seen the goalkeeper red carded for his troubles.

Unlike Hearts, Rangers didn't dwell on the decision, and they took full advantage moments later when Kenny Miller side-footed home from inside the penalty box to give Rangers a two goal advantage.

So far, so good for Rangers. If they had wanted to turn the heat up on Hibs, this was exactly what they needed to do. Hibs, however, responded almost immediately. Jason Cummings found himself staring down Jamie McDonald from a few yards out. Cummings dropped a shoulder and sold McDonald a dummy before wandering round the grounded goalkeeper to walk the ball into the now unguarded net. It was a classy finish from the young player who finished the season on top of the scoring charts, a remarkable achievement for a lad that was working as a gardener just a couple of years ago. It rounded off a good week for Jason, who had been voted 'Young Player of the Year' by Hibernian supporters a few days earlier.

Hibs now held the aces in the race for second place, and Rangers were running out of cards to play. As the game progressed at Tynecastle, Hearts shuffled the deck and brought on man-mountain Genero Zeefuik who proved to be almost worth his weight in goals as he headed Hearts back into the match before shooting home a late, late equaliser which finally prompted the Hearts fans into voice, the goal signalling the end of the apparent sponsored silence which seems to be a staple of a Hearts party these days, if the 90 minutes at Tynecastle on Saturday and their party at Easter Road where they lost the last derby of the season are anything to go by.

As if that wasn't enough to sour the Rangers' day, they would hear that Do-do-do-Dominique Malonga had scored for the third consecutive game to give Hibs an unassailable three goal lead going into the final moments of the game.

The results left Hibs in second place, as they had started the day. Few would have given Hibs much hope of second in December and it's testament to Alan Stubbs and his team that they proved the doubters wrong.Questions had been asked about Stubbs's side's bottle, and they were answered in spades in the final weeks of the season. It is ironic that Hibs played much better, in my opinion, in the semi-final against Falkirk where they were accused of bottling it, than they played in Saturday's win. That's football, I suppose.

Rangers now face Queen of the South to see who will meet Hibs in the play-off semi final. Rangers will not be approaching the game with any great amount of confidence. Their last outing at Palmerston ended in a 3-0 reverse, with Queen of the South capitalising on a dire performance from the visitors. Rangers have shipped five goals without reply on their travels to Queen of the South this season, and so the play-off fixture is far from a formality.

Queen of the South are in an almost enviable position of having virtually no pressure on them. Expectations throughout Scottish football at the start of the season were that, aside from whoever was to win the league, the other team likely to be promoted would come from Hearts, Rangers, or Hibernian. With Hearts being the title winners, pundits have practically discounted Queen of the South from any notion of them being contenders. It's not an opinion I share. Both Hibs and Rangers have struggled against Queen of the South this season - their stuffy, park-the-bus approach at Easter Road has subjected me to some of the most negative football seen in the East of Edinburgh since the Alex Miller years. With Hibs tendency to find themselves knocked out by the sucker punch on so many occasions this season, the thought of going up against that will not fill the players with joy.

However, both Rangers and Queen of the South would happily trade places with Hibs. The advantage gained in finishing second is significant, especially if the quarter final turns out to be a gruelling, hard fought affair.

It is vital, though, that Hibs remain focussed. Finishing second was just the start of the job and nothing has been achieved yet. The next two games (and, hopefully the two after) are amongst the most important in the club's history. Negotiate these games effectively, and Hibs can put the nightmare of the Championship behind them and look forward to taking their seat at the top-flight table again next season.

I have no doubt that Hibs are capable of winning these games, and although their sternest test will likely come from the SPL side hoping to avoid swapping places with their Championship counterpart, Hibs have the players in their team that have it in their locker to go on and win.

There may be a question of whether or not they have the temperament to do it, but I think that questions has been put to bed on many occasions this season, and Hibs have stuck at it. In finishing second, Hibs accumulated more points that Championship winners Dundee collected last season. Dundee have held their own in the SPL this season, so Hibs should take confidence that they can mix it with the big boys.

Hibs biggest barrier to overcome is to make sure that the focus remains on the job in hand over the next couple of weeks until they need to play again. The risk is that in achieving a milestone in finishing second, they get the chance to relax and let complacency seep in. In Alan Stubbs, Hibs have a manager who is ideal for preventing that from happening. Stubbs has insisted on high standards all season, and it's finally paying dividends.

I am hopeless at predictions, but my gut instinct is that Hibs will once again be a top flight side next season. The one thing I can say, is that so long as Stubbs and his backroom stay, and the hugely impressive work behind the scenes at Easter Road continues, then it's only a matter of time before Hibs are challenging at the right end of the right league, even if it doesn't happen this year.

Congratulations must also go to Championship Player of the Year, Scott Allan. What a joy it has been watching him grow and develop at Hibs this season. He was impressive when he first arrived but having had the bulk of the season under his belt, he has improved immeasurably under Stubbs' guidance. This improvement is a trend that's evident throughout the side, and Allan had some close competition from his team-mates for the award.

Scott has another year on his contract, and I desperately hope Hibs resist any advances for him. He is a player that the Hibs fans appreciate, and he fits the style of play that Stubbs is stamping on the team like a glove. The phrase 'build a team around' gets used a lot in football, and never has it been more fitting than in Scott Allan's case at Hibs.

What has also been very noticeable, in contrast to the abject misery and disillusionment of last season's closing stages, is rather than seeing an impending exodus of players, we are hearing stories of players being desperate to stay at Hibs, and we've gone from seeing loan players who simply couldn't give a toss about the club (yes, Matt Doherty, I mean you) to players like Martin Boyle who showed with his celebration on Saturday exactly what it means to him to be at Easter Road.

It's like night and day comparing the Hibs from then to the Hibs of now. We have some of the most talented young players (the potential in Jason Cummings is unbelievable, in my opinion this guy could go on to be the best striker Hibs have produced since Riordan and Fletcher), as well as some experienced players (Fontaine, Gray, Hanlon, Stevenson, Craig, Robertson) who have raised their game considerably this season. It's a great mix, and Stubbs will have a lot of food for thought over the close season to decide how he is going to build on this nucleus of talent.

Bogey Teams Make a Point

The last blog I wrote followed a terrific (and it was terrific) Hibs win over Rangers, where Hibernian managed to whittle down the lead that Glasgow's newest team had over them to just four points.

Hibs were about to face the runaway league leaders in the New Year's derby and I - like most of the support - was looking forward to the game and the opportunity to claw that points deficit back a little more.

Between that game and now, Hibs faced Falkirk at Easter Road, having suffered two defeats to the Bairns already this season, Falkirk were fast becoming something of a bogey team for Hibs, and so Hibs would be hoping to put a bit of distance between themselves and Falkirk.

As things stand today, Hearts' lead over Hibs extends to the point where Hibs need significantly more than snookers to have any hope of finishing the season as champions, and Rangers have pushed on to take the gap between them and their Leith counterparts to eight points.

So, let's have a look at what happened, starting with the derby. It would be fair to say that for one reason or another, Hearts have definitely become a bona-fide bogey team to Hibs. For Hibs fans, Hearts represent the last team that we would want to hold a jinx over us. You really have to be unlucky to have your city rivals as your bogey-team.

There are a number of reasons for that, in recent history it's because Hearts spent significantly more than Hibs on their team, and derbies generally went with form. Last season, with Hearts in the doldrums and having a horrendous time of things, Hibs mustered only one victory against them, Liam Craig's penalty winning the New Year fixture at Easter Road, giving Hibs fans a lingering memory of what joy is possible from watching football as the rest of the season descended into disaster under Terry Butcher.

Hearts have carried a huge amount of favour over the last couple of seasons, Hibs having two perfectly legitimate goals chalked off in absurd refereeing decisions, but this blog isn't to highlight injustices or complaints about referees, and it's only fair to acknowledge that while big decisions like those played a part, so too did very lacklustre and abject Hibs performances.

When I was starting to attend Hibs games, Hearts went on a run where Hibs failed to beat them in twenty-two matches. The manager at the time, Alex Miller, appeared to have no idea on how to halt that record and derby days became depressingly predictable.

To this day, no matter how well Hibs are doing, I watch a derby waiting for the moment where Hibs contrive to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (or at least, snatch a draw). Meanwhile, Hearts are able to approach derbies knowing that no matter how bad things are, something will likely go their way.

There have been some exceptions, but they are few and far between. I know that back in the day, there was a period where Hearts couldn't buy a win against Hibs so it hasn't always been the case that Hearts have been a bogey-team, and I can only hope that now we're operating on a much more level financial playing field, with Hearts finally having to live within their means, that there will be more balance in the results between the teams.

That was the case at Tynecastle, Hibs were desperately unlucky not to take all three points in the previous derby at Easter Road, and showed that they were more than a match for the league leaders, and again Hibs put in an impressive performance with most neutral observers noting that Hearts could have had no arguments had Hibs won the match, instead of having to settle for a point.

Hibs took an early lead, a sublime cross from Scott Allan found Jason Cummings and his close range shot flew past Alexander in the Hearts goal. It capped a period of fairly sustained pressure from Hibs, with the visitors putting pressure on the hosts from the outset.

Cummings had a golden opportunity to put Hibs two goals ahead shortly afterwards, sending a free header just wide with the goal at his mercy. Hibs were to rue that miss, with Hearts getting an unlikely goal shortly afterwards.

The second half was a more even affair, with Hibs finishing the stronger of the two sides but unable to get a winning goal.

The result left Alan Stubbs frustrated as again, Hibs had somehow not got the win that their performance had probably deserved. This is a trait that Hibs have displayed throughout the season and can account for a large number of the points between them and the two sides above them. Hearts have played well in the vast majority of their games, and won most of them. Where they've not played well they've managed to take something from the games - and that's why they sit deservedly at the top of the table. Rangers, for their part, have been less impressive and seem to be stumbling from result to result, but those results tend to be wins, and for all that you couldn't pay me to go and watch them, I'd happily see Hibs take that winning habit from them.

Hibs have lost games we have dominated, and also lost the games we deserved to take nothing from. On Saturday, against Falkirk, Hibs should have won. Having started brightly, Hibs took the lead when Jason Cummings' shot was fumbled by Jamie MacDonald in the Falkirk goal. It's ironic that MacDonald was generally excellent when he featured against Hibs in derbies while he was with Hearts, and yet he looked suspect throughout the game on Saturday.

Falkirk took advantage of some seriously sloppy defending from Hibs to draw level, and only a very late flag from the Referee's Assistant (probably the latest offside decision I've ever seen given - but credit to the Assistant, she got it right) saved Hibs from falling behind in the match.

Hibs seemed to take heed of the warning and stormed into a 3-1 lead, with Jason Cummings completing a first half hat-trick (as predicted, again, by  @Lmc2105 Lee McLennan - two hat trick predictions coming through this season!). Hibs started the second half brightly with new loan signing Martin Boyle first missing what was essentially an open goal, then having the ball inexplicably nicked from his toes as he was about to shoot by team-mate Scott Allan. Had either chance gone in, the game would have likely been out of reach for Falkirk.

Instead, the Bairns were lifted by the let-off, and they capitalised on some horrendous defending from Hibs to bring the scores back level. Hibs were not able to pull in front again, and a match that was there to be won ended with Hibs falling further behind the sides above them.

Alan Stubbs' post-match interview reflected a manager who was evidently frustrated and angered at his team's inability to win matches, and as pleased as he must have been with their recent performances, his criticisms of the side were entirely justified.

Hibs' right-back, David Gray, had been missing for this game in order to get a groin operation. Hibs definitely missed him, and it will be interesting to see if Alan Stubbs makes signing a right-back a priority while the transfer window is open this month. If he doesn't. there is much work to do to bring balance to a back four that comprised of four left-footed players, with Calum Booth playing out of position on the right side of the defence. Under pressure, the defence did not look comfortable at all. For all that Paul Hanlon and Liam Fontaine have been excellent this season, they looked disjointed and nervous without the steadying presence of Gray.

Mark Oxley in goal did little to help, the conditions causing all sorts of problems for the keeper who has just extended his stay at Easter Road until the end of the season. It was an uncharacteristically poor performance from Oxley, and one would hope that it was a one off that could be attributed to the horrendous weather.

And so Hibs look forward to Cowdenbeath visiting Easter Road on Saturday. It's an opportunity to get some points back on at least one of the two teams above them, with Rangers hosting Hearts on Friday evening. I'd love to say that I was confident that Hibs will do that, but Hibs just haven't got that winning habit just yet.

As for laying some of the bogey-sides to rest, Hibs get another shot at both Falkirk and Hearts before the season's out, so here's hoping that Hibs develop the knack of winning games they deserve to win between now and then.