Hibernian 2 Aberdeen 0

Sunday 29th December 2002
Scottish Premier League
Attendance:

Scorers:
Hibernian: Paatelainen, McManus.

This is a copy of a report of the game as it appeared in the Scotsman on Monday 30th December 2002

Hibs reap rewards of composure

PATIENCE paid off for Hibernian yesterday, in a match which should have been over as a contest long before the closing minutes. Without ever reaching dizzying heights of inventiveness, Bobby Williamson’s side created a fair number of chances in addition to the header from Mixu Paatelainen and the free-kick from Tam McManus which secured the three points.

In the process of clinching victory, and with it fourth place in the table, Hibs broke a bad habit. Too often this season they have conceded late goals - notably in their last match against Hearts. Yesterday, as thoughts began to turn to the next Edinburgh derby, they provided convincing evidence of their improved mental stamina.

Hearts will show more fight than Aberdeen, and Thursday’s game will be played at a more demanding pace than the stroll which passed for the first hour of action yesterday. But Hibs, three points and one goal behind their rivals, will leapfrog them if they win at Tynecastle. And, as Williamson said, there is "no bigger incentive than that".

One thing they will have to do, though, is start the match in more assured fashion. With Paul Fenwick being rested following the birth of his twins, and Ian Murray starting off on the bench because he was carrying a thigh strain, there was a hesitant look to the recast Hibs side. Sensing that, Aberdeen began brightly, but the best they could manage was a low shot from Derek Young which was easily saved by Tony Caig.

By midway through the first half, Yannick Zambernardi was showing the decisiveness which later saw him named man of the match, while Paatelainen’s aerial prowess was beginning to pose problems for the Dons defence.

The Finn played all day with his characteristic industriousness, but he was far from being the only hard-working member of his team. Any time Aberdeen looked like troubling Zambernardi and his fellow-defenders, the Hibs midfield managed to get back en masse to snuff out the threat.

Hard work, however, was about the only virtue on show in the opening 45 minutes. After the break, both teams played with more urgency - which was the least they could do after such an undistinguished first half - and the more the tempo increased, the more probable a home win became.

Paatelainen should have scored the opening goal in the 62nd minute. Put through on goal by Alen Orman after Aberdeen had failed to clear their lines, he sent his shot wide.

He managed something similar ten minutes from time, but by then he had at least notched the opener with a well-angled header from a John O’Neil cross. "Big Mixu’s feet weren’t working, but his head certainly was," as Williamson observed.

One person whose feet definitely were working was McManus. A second-half substitute for Paco Luna, the young striker scored Hibs’ second with a delightful free-kick which curled teasingly away from David Preece.

Having thus ended a mediocre recent run, Hibs are again very much in the hunt for a European place. And, given the current state of the Premierleague, an upper-half finish should be the very least of their expectations, for the seven-point gap between the top six and the bottom six is becoming close to unbridgeable now. The quartet of teams behind the Old Firm - Kilmarnock, Dunfermline and the Edinburgh two - are effectively in a mini-league of their own, and the heightened competition caused by their proximity is spurring them on.

Certainly, it would take a swift and substantial improvement by any of the clubs in positions seven to 12 for them to get close to that leading half-dozen. And any Aberdeen fans hoping for such a transformation from their own side would surely have had their optimism quashed on hearing Steve Paterson’s analysis of the match.

By their own standards, the visiting team looked to be playing with a reasonable amount of self-possession, at least until Hibs opened the scoring. Paterson, though, is convinced there is a lot of work to do, and over a lengthy period.

"Over the 90 minutes the best team won," said the new Pittodrie manager. "I felt we were lucky to go in at 0-0 at half-time, because we were losing the midfield battle.

"There just seems a general anxiety when our players get into the opposing penalty box, and the composure’s not there in the passing. There’s a hell of a lot of work to do. At least we made a few chances, but it’s a long-haul job.

"I’m looking to sign three or four players, because there’s not enough quality in depth or competition for places. A prolific scorer is the priority, but we also need a left-sided player, a striker, a defender and an attacking midfielder."

Paterson hopes to make those signings next month, and plans to release players to make way for them. He knows, however, that he may have to wait until the close season before completing the reconstruction of the squad. After years of forbearance while that squad supposedly matured under Ebbe Skovdahl, Aberdeen’s supporters will apparently have to maintain their own patience for some time yet.

Hibernian: Caig, Doumbe, Smith, Zambernardi, James, Orman, Wiss (Brebner 63), O’Neil, Townsley (Murray 79), Luna (McManus 66), Paatelainen. Subs not used: Westwater, Jack.

Aberdeen: Preece, Rutkiewicz, Anderson, McGuire, McNaughton (Mackie 81), Deloumeaux, Tiernan (Michie 56), Clark, McAllister, D’Jaffo, Derek Young. Subs not used: Esson, Mike, O’Donoghue.

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