Hibs left West Lothian with all three points after a hard fought encounter against Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena this afternoon.
Head Coach Alan Stubbs made one change to the starting XI that beat Alloa Athletic last weekend with Dominique Malonga replacing the injured James Keatings.
A large travelling support greeted the players and Jason Cummings almost grabbed an opener in the 8th minute after a cross from Lewis Stevenson but Darren Jamieson produced a world class save to keep the scores level.
A few minutes later Liam Henderson latched onto a Marvin Bartley through ball and sent a low cross into the area but Malonga’s effort struck the post.
Hibs continued to dominate possession although Livingston looked dangerous on the break and almost took the lead when Liam Buchanan set up Scott Pittman but Mark Oxley produced a great save. The ball rebounded to Buchanan but his shot was cleared off the line by Paul Hanlon.
Hibs showed more urgency at the start of the second half and Dylan McGeouch fired inches over the bar before the Easter Road side opened the scoring in spectacular fashion. Former Hearts’ striker Gary Glen brought down Stevenson on the edge of the area and Henderson fired the resultant free kick over the wall and into the top corner of the net to the delight of the Hibs fans in the East Stand.
Hugo Faria and Declan Hippolyte were both booked within a minute of each other as tempers flared.
With time running out, Stubbs replaced goal scorer Henderson with Darren McGregor and Hibs held on to secure the victory despite a late scare when substitute Jordan Sheerin’s powerful shot was deflected over the bat in time added on.
Livingston: Jamieson, Millen, Longridge, Pittman, Faria, Hippolyte, Gallagher, Neill, Gibbons, Buchanan, Glen. Subs: Gould, Cole, White, Georgiev, Sheerin, Currie, Duckrell.
Hibs: Oxley, Gray, Henderson, Hanlon, Fontaine, Bartley, Malonga, McGeouch, Stevenson, McGinn, Cummings. Subs Reguero, Stanton, Boyle, Feruz, Forster, McGregor, Martin,
Referee Barry Cook
Attendance 3007
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.
