U19s Report: Hibs 0 St Mirren 2

It was a disappointing afternoon for the Hibs U19s as they suffered their first defeat in this season’s CAS Elite U19 League Cup at home to St Mirren.

In a game where they dominated possession of the ball, Darren McGregor’s side struggled to break down a resilient St Mirren backline, with the visitors also proving clinical in front of goal when a chance went their way.

Starting XI: Mallon, Buckley, Riddell (Gallacher 76’), McNeill, McGrath, Bruce, Cleland (Gillie 54’), McMurdo, Downie, Davidson, MacDonald.

Unused Substitutes: Brown, Waldman.

The hosts started brightly, with an early chance falling to Jamie McMurdo as he cut inside from the left and fired a shot just past the far post.
St Mirren quickly responded to the early onslaught as Theo McCormick threatened with a mistimed volley that flew over the crossbar. 

Hibs continued to dominate the ball and in the 12th minute went close with a powerful strike from Luke Davidson, but the St Mirren defence stood strong and closed down the effort before clearing it to safety.

The home team’s domination continued, with the visitors struggling to get a foothold on the ball as the Hibees’ high press caused the Paisley outfit a few scares.

Despite the fast start, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock – an excellent finish from Luke Douglas rounded off a well-worked counterattack. 

The goal proved to be a turning point in the first half, with Hibs now chasing the game, the visitors were quite happy to sit back and absorb any attacking pressure, dealing with it effectively.

It wasn’t until the last five minutes of the first half that St Mirren started to look slightly vulnerable, with a Dean Cleland chance and a scramble in the box forcing the St Mirren shot stopper into a decent bit of goalkeeping.

The interval proved to be a pivotal moment for the Buddies, starting the second half on the front foot and forcing Ryan Mallon into a decent save very early on.

It wasn’t long later when they doubled their lead, a smart finish from Carrick McEvoy in the 51st minute after a corner from the right gave the Hibs keeper no chance.

With a two-goal lead, the visitors looked quite comfortable as they continued to deal with any attacking threat posed by the Hibees.

Darren McGregor looked to instigate some freshness in the game as he introduced Lewis Gillie and Jay Gallacher from the bench, but the visitors continued to deal with any threats towards their goal.

Zach Bruce would go the closest for the hosts with ten minutes left, as his effort was cleared off the line by the St Mirren defence.

A frustrating evening at HTC, as the wee Hibees’ 100% record in the League Cup comes to an end.