Hibs returned to the top of the SPFL under 20s league albeit for a few hours with an emphatic 3-0 victory against Motherwell at Broadwood Stadium yesterday thanks to goals from Jason Cummings, Tom Gardiner and Paul Heffernan.
Head of Academy Coaching James McDonaugh selected an experienced lone up which included first team regulars Heffernan, Cummings, Paul Cairney (pictured) and Danny Handling.
Hibs took the lead in the 15th minutes when Cummings scored his 31st goal of the season when he connected with Euan Smith’s cross and his header deflected off a Motherwell defender into the net.
Former Tottenham Hotspurs defender Gardiner added a second just after the break with a fine header from a Ryan Baptie cross before experienced striker Heffernan sealed the victory with a header midway through the second half,
After the game McDonaugh told Hibernian TV: “I thought we always looked likely to score, we were 1-0 up at half-time and we had good chances from Tom Gardiner and Paul Heffernan. We were getting the ball into the box and we were getting the ball into good areas.
“At the start of the second half we were better and played a lot smoother and slicker. But I still thought that there was still a wee bit more to come from the players to be honest – but that was maybe asking for too much.
“It’s very good to come away from home and keep a clean sheet and win the match.
“We’re happy to obviously come away from home and we’ve changed our team again and Motherwell have been going great guns and winning most of their games.
“To come here and score three goals and keep a clean sheet we’re happy with that.”
“I was delighted for the back four of Baptie, Wilson, Gardiner and Black, they have had to play a lot of games together and maybe have been unfortunate not to have kept as many clean sheets as they have.
“Paul himself was excellent. He kicked the ball really well, he came and caught crosses, he took the pressure off and he always looks comfortable. I was delighted for the five of them; it was great to get a clean sheet.”
“Tom (Gardiner) chips in with his goals and he just seems to find a way of losing his marker in the opposition box. He blocks things at the other end of the pitch and is really settling down now. We’re hoping that he’ll kick on and have a good chance at the Club.”
Hibernian under-20s: Grant, Black, Baptie, Horribine, Wilson, Gardiner, Smith, Cairney, Heffernan, Handling, Cummings. Unused substitutes: Horne, Dunsmore, Martyniuk, Todd, McCaffrey, Martin, Beaton.
Photo by John Preece
http://www.photoboxgallery.com/jlp-photography
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
