Hibs continued their pre-season fixtures with a comfortable 2-0 win over Berwick Rangers on a sunny evening at Shielfield Park.
Neil Lennon rested a number of the team that played against Dunfermline and Sunderland and included a number of youngsters.
Jermaine Pennant was given another chance to impress at right midfield, while fellow trialist Andrew Blake, a New Zealand U20 internationalist, started behind him at right back.
Both teams had chances before Hibs wasted a great opportunity to open the scoring after 20 minutes when skipper for the night Brian Graham blasted a penalty high over the bar which had to be recovered from Argos Car Park outside the ground.
Just before the break, Fraser Murray almost opened the scoring with a fine strike which struck the post.
Hibs eventually took the lead in the 72nd minute when Danny Handling capitalised on a mistake in the Rangers defence and rolled the ball into an empty net.
Youngster Oli Shaw made it 2-0 with 12 minutes remaining.
The team that finished the game contained 10 players who came through the Academy.
After the game Neil Lennon confirmed that he has been unable to get in touch with defender Efe Ambrose who was given an extended summer break and also that Simon Church, the Welsh international striker is training with the club.
Hibs face Montrose at Easter Road on Saturday.
Berwick Rangers: McCrorie (Brennan, 46’), Fleming (Cook, 75’), Notman (Gillan, 78’), Thomson (Orru, 56’), McDonald, Rutherford (Chapman, 65’), McKenna (Helm, 78’), Phillips (Heriott, 70’), Irving (Murrell, 46’), Stewart, Scullion (Fairbairn, 65’).
Hibernian: Laidlaw, Blake (I Murray, 81’), Porteous, Waugh (Stirling, 55’), Crane, Pennant (Mackie, 76’), Martin, Murray, Swanson (Stanton, 56’), Shaw, Graham (Handling, 56’). Unused substitutes: P Martin.
Attendance 1206
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.
