Hibs continued to cut a swathe through the Irn-Bru First Division's leading lights, as John Hughes' side followed up Saturday's four-goal demolition of Dunfermline, with this equally emphatic victory over Queens at Palmy.
The SPL side wasted little time in going in front. With just seven minutes having elapsed. young Danny Galbraith moved effortlessly onto a slide-rule Colin Nish pass, to advance unchallenged and slot the ball beyond Queens goalkeeper Roddy McKenzie from the edge of the box.
Eight minutes later, the former Manchester United youngster did well to get the better of a joust with home skipper Bob Harris at the corner flag. He did even better to keep the ball in-play, before crossing to the back post where Ian Murray had arrived unmarked to side-foot home and double Hibs' lead.
A superb build-up between Willie McLaren and Paul Burns worried Hibs in 23 minutes, but Danny Carmichael fired wide from Burns' cross. Four minutes later the Edinburgh side showed the Doonhamers how to finish. Nish out-muscled Marc McAusland 35 yards out, burst forward and squared the ball for Lewis Stevenson to slot home his first first-team goal for Hibs from 12 yards.
Hughes rang the changes with seven second-half substitutions; but he made only one of these - goalkeeper Mark Brown for Graham Stack - at the interval. Six minutes after the restart, Hibs made it 4-0 for the second time in four days. Nish was the scorer, capping a fine display with a great solo goal. He picked up a loose ball in midfield, looked up and from 30 yards out, he left McKenzie helpless with a cross shot which flew into the postage stamp corner.
The Hibs changes definitely took the sting out of their play and allowed Queens some opportunities to attack, but they found the visitors' defence, expertly-marshalled by skipper Chris Hogg - twice he threw his body in the path of net-bound shots - unwilling to surrender a second successive clean sheet.
A good display by Hibs, a few more cobwebs blown away and another four-goal haul. Injury-hit Queens on the other hand have problems particularly in defence where Lilley's absence has been crucial and McKenzie looks anything but secure in goal.
Queen of the South:
McKenzie; Reid, Harris, McAusland, McKenna, JohnstonTrialist, Quinn, Burns, Weatherston, Carmichael, McLaren. Subs not used: McShane, Reilly, Orsi, Degnan, Thomson, Scally.
Hibernian:
Stack/Brown (46); Hart, Murray/Horner (66), Hogg/Taggart (70), Stephens/Thicot (70), Welsh, Galbraith, Weatherspoon/Byrne (63), Nish/McCann (75), Stevenson, Rankin/Currie(70)
Queens MAD Man of the Match - Carmichael - What a prospect.
|
