Ten man Hibs fought back from a goal down to grab a deserved share of the points in a hard-fought, ill-tempered game against Falkirk at Easter Road this afternoon, but the main talking point amongst fans leaving the stadium was the performance of referee Kevin Clancy who was booed off the field at both half time and full time.
Apart from denying Hibs two clear penalties, he then sent off midfielder John McGinn just before the break for a challenge on Mark Kerr which only deserved a yellow card.
Head coach Alan Stubbs made one change to the starting XI that beat Alloa three weeks ago with Paul Hanlon replacing Marvin Bartley after returning from injury.
There was a surprise on the substitutes bench with Sam Stanton returning to the squad after a long absence and striker Henri Anier finally making an appearance after joining the club in the summer. Liam Henderson returned after suffering a virus.
After a quiet opening period Hibs should have had a penalty when James Keating’s powerful shot was blocked by Will Vauks’ arm but the referee waved play on. Three minutes later Keatings was bundled over inside the area by Aaron Muirhead, but once again Clancy ignored the appeal.
In the 14th minute, the whole stadium stood and applauded in memory of youngster Brandon Walker who sadly passed away earlier this week.
Keatings then hit the side netting with a long range effort then Jason Cummings went close with a shot from the edge of the area as Hibs totally dominated possession.
In the 30th minute Vaulks was rightly booked for persistent fouling and Hibs almost took the lead after a great move between Fraser Fyvie, Cummings and John McGinn which ended when the midfielder’s strike flew narrowly past.
Just before half time Hibs were reduced to ten men when McGinn was sent off. The influential midfielder beat three men heading into the box and appeared to be impeded as he lost possession. He then lunged to win the ball back and caught Mark Kerr on the shins. To the surprise of most fans in the stadium, referee Clancy immediately produced a red card and he left the field to a chorus of boos minutes later.
Falkirk then dominated possession in the second half and in the 62nd minute Cummings was booked for diving then David Gray was booked for a foul on Craig Sibbald and Liam Fontaine booked for a trip on Kevin O’Hara as tempers flared.
With ten minutes remaining, the Hibs’ fans let the players know that Rangers were behind at Ibrox, but the celebrations were cut short two minutes later when the ‘Bairns’ took the lead. A speculative shot from Blair Alston was fumbled by Mark Oxley and the ball fell to former Hearts’ striker Lee Miller who prodded it home five yards.
At the same moment, 40 odd miles away in Glasgow, Rangers equalised.
Hibs fought back and grabbed a deserved equaliser in the last minute when Cummings fired a powerful cross into the penalty area. Substitute Anier produced a sublime flick into the path of Martin Boyle to slotted the ball into the net from two yards to the delight of the Hibs’ faithful.
Moments later Lewis Stevenson suffered a bad head injury and had to leave the field, leaving Hibs with nine men for the remainder of the game.
Afterwards Stubbs revealed that the club doctor was refused permission to enter the field and treat Stevenson who appeared to be suffering from concussion.
Hibs: Oxley, Gray, Hanlon, Fontaine, Stevenson, McGregor, Fyvie, McGinn, Keatings, Malonga, Cummings: Subs Reguero, Henderson, Stanton, Boyle, Forster, Anier, Sinclair
Falkirk: Rogers, Leahy, Muirhead, McCracken, Vaulks, Alston, Baird, Sibbald, Kerr, Grant, O’Hara. Subs Tokarczyk, Smith, Miller, Cooper, Shepherd, Sinnamon, Watson.
Referee Kevin Clancy
Attendance 9459
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.
