September 30th 2000
Scottish Premier League
Attendance:
Scorers:
Hibernian: McManus.
This is a copy of a report of the game as it appeared in the Scotland on Sunday on Sunday 29th October 2000
THEY struggled for inspiration, looked decidedly ordinary for long spells and conjured up a goal when it appeared one was destined to elude them all day. Hibs really do have all the makings of championship challengers; not least of which is a points tally current title holders Rangers would die for right at this minute.
In many respects, the Easter Road side’s eked-out victory away to a tigerish United, who performed creditably only to come wholly undone in the chance-making department, might be considered more significant than the 6-2 horsing administered to their derby rivals Hearts a week ago. Alex McLeish’s men were anointed last Sunday, but in the face of dogged resistance from United, the Edinburgh side were reduced to mere mortals. Hibs failed to exhibit even a smidgin of last week’s fluency and brio, only making up for it with bucket loads of honest toil.
They kept plugging away during a second period that saw chances going begging in a fashion which gave rise to a belief it wasn’t going to happen for them. Then it did, with eight minutes remaining.
Russell Latapy drew a posse of defenders to leave Tom McManus unmarked breaking down the right, before sending the 19-year-old substitute through on goal with a perfectly-weighted pass for him to ram an angled drive low beyond Alan Combe.
These are heady times for Hibs, second by two points to leaders Celtic and a whopping 10 points clear of Rangers, having played a game more than the Old Firm sides.
"We had to be patient and knew it wouldn’t be the same type of game as last week, and knew how committed United would be," Hibs assistant manager Andy Watson commented. "But our players deserve credit for matching United’s commitment."
The sight of Jim Laughlan in a Dundee United jersey for the first time following his £100,000 signing this week may have warmed the cockles of the hearts of many a fan of the Tannadice club. For the defender himself, the uniform might have been covered in arrows. Regardless of what he says publicly, swapping Kilmarnock for a team still searching for their first win with a quarter of the season gone was not what Laughlan had in mind when he thumbed his nose at a new contract offer from the Rugby Park club in the summer.
The 23-year-old had his head filled with nonsense from agents who assured the player they could cut him a deal with ‘a top-class Bundesliga side’ or an English club of repute. Instead, he has spent the past three months frozen out of the game and had been forced to make the best of an offer to go down with the Tannadice ship.
Accomplished and cocky enough to bring a certain stability to a backline, his application was praiseworthy in his first outing and, along with David Partridge and captain Jason De Vos, he helped straightjacket a Hibs attack who had picked off goals at will in the second-half of their derby doing.
United were willing to resort to healthy dollops of heel-snapping to deny the likes of Mixu Paatelainen and David Zitelli space, with French midfielder John Licina sticking so tightly to Hibs playmaker Russell Latapy that at times you could have been forgiven for thinking that the Trinidadian and his marker were rehearsing for a three-legged race.
He lost him only once, and once was enough to pay the severest penalty.
Having this week shipped out a collection of Argentines, Hondurans and Uruguayans on short-term contracts with all compassion normally reserved for asylum seekers, Tannadice boss Smith fielded an 11 with a distinctly tartan flavour who set about their tasks with pluck, if little poise, and exhibited a modicum of cohesion that has previously been absent from United’s displays this term.
There is a tangible feeling that the Tayside club post-Jim McLean consider themselves in the early days of fresh beginning... that in all probability will still end in tears. McLean would have taken pride in the stoic defending of the club to which he gave 29 years of his life, but against a Hibs side devoid of a spark in the first period, the home team offered few glimpses of an attacking threat.
Mvondo Atangana may have been more lively than productive, but strike partner Steven Thompson almost poked the ball past Nick Colgan in only five minutes, the Hibs keeper requiring treatment after bodies piled on top of him.
In an otherwise tepid first-half, neither keeper was seriously troubled, but McLeish’s men regrouped after the interval and there was a nagging purpose about their efforts, Paatelainen drilling an effort straight at Combe with the goal gaping and Dirk Lehmann blasting wide after the United keeper had palmed out a David Zitelli hitch-kick.
Smith’s men would have been worth a point, but these remain like gold dust to a club who have garnered only two from 13 games and are eight adrift of second bottom St Mirren.
"The result was extremely disappointing, but that was all," the United boss said afterwards. "It was by far the best performance I’ve seen from them all season."
Maybe United’s luck is about to turn. It is about to get easier for them after a fortnight in which they’ve faced first and second in the league.
On Tuesday they will only have Rangers at Ibrox standing between them and the semi-finals of the CIS Cup. Hard to know which of the two sides will fancy the tie more.
The Teams:
Hibernian: Colgan, G Smith, Sauzee, Fenwick, Larusen, Latapy, Jack, O'Neil, Lovell, Paatelainen, Zitteli.
After last week's high, a large Hibs Support headed north in expectation of a repeat performance. That they never got one was as much down to the improving Utd as Hibs being hungover.
However, it must be said that, in the past these were the types of games that Hibs tended to lose. Two good results in big games then they would fall flat against lower opposition.
Hibs kept to their task and were eventually rewarded for their persistance when Russell Latapy wriggled past three Utd defenders before releasing Tom McManus in acres of space. The youngster made no mistake and that was that.
It could have been more had Dirk Lehmann only taken the chance to score a rebound following a tremendous volley from David Zittelli.
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