Scott Allan insists that the Hibs’ players will take positives from this afternoon’s visit to Ibrox despite losing the game to the league leaders.
Allan has missed the majority of the season due to an unspecified medical reason and today he joined former Rangers striker Kris Boyd as a pundit on Sky Sports’ coverage.
A goal from Ianis Hagi separated the teams and Hibs created a number of chances but were unable to grab an equaliser although they were denied at least two penalties.
Hagi caught Joe Newell with a high-boot as he attempted to clear the ball inside the area then Ryan Porteous was clearly tripped by James Tavernier as he tried to get on the end of a Newell corner.
After the final whistle Allan told Sky Sport: “I think when you come to Ibrox it’s always going to be hard to come away with three points but the second-half we went for it and tried to create chances.
“We did create chances but just couldn’t turn them into a goal. On another day, maybe a Christian Doidge if we put the ball into the box from deeper areas is another route to get back in the game.
“I thought there were some good performances from throughout the team. Joe Newell was really composed on the ball and showed his class, looking to go forward so there were a lot of positives from a Hibs’ point of view as well.
“I think he (Dillon Barnes) will be delighted with his performance especially with it being his league debut. Coming to Ibrox you are not going to be having much of the ball and you will be asked to make saves and he certainly did that today. The chances that Rangers made he was there and it could have been more but for him.
“We have had a steady back four for most of the season now. I felt as a team we defended really well considering that Rangers had most of the possession.
“It was unfortunate. I think Hibs performance was good, just no goals today but we’ve got a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks.
“Our away form has been a real positive for us this season. It was something we had to change from last season so we will definitely take positives from today.”
Kris Boyd told Sky Sports: “ You can look at Hagi’s reaction as well. He knows, as soon as Newell goes down he turns and looks for the referee to see exactly where he is.
“He was lucky to get away with that one there. I think the manager (Jack Ross) will be frustrated and I think Hagi got away with one. He was lucky.
Scott Allan added: “If that happens anywhere else on the park it’s a free-kick. Listen you sometimes get those and sometime don’t but I think anywhere else on the pitch you are getting a free-kick for that. For me that’s a penalty but for me you expect not to get them sometimes when you come to the Old Firm and it’s definitely happened again today.
After the final whistle Ross told Sky Sports: “We are trying to grow the mentality of the club that we are never satisfied losing games and I think that’s evident in our record this season so we are disappointed in the changing room because we have not had that feeling often but I think it’s a day to extentuate the positives in my teams performance. I thought they were excellent and that’s probably as hard a game as Rangers have had here in the league.
“To push them as hard as we did is testament to how far we have came. We want to keep going and we want to make sure that we come here in the future and take something from the match.
“I think the way we set up today there was a risk element to it. We knew we would give up opportunities because we are playing against a really good team but we tried to keep two strikers up the park and I think we created good opportunities through that. We maybe didn’t work their goalkeeper enough but we had spells in the game when we were good.
“We should have had at least one penalty. The Ryan Porteous one is a penalty kick. It was difficult for me to see at the time but I have the benefit of watching it again but I don’t think there is any doubt that it was a penalty.
“There was lots for us to be pleased about today. The players’ willingness to play the way we asked them to, their courage and their belief to cause Rangers problems but ultimately we have lost the game so we don’t take pleasure in that but we take pride in large aspects of our performance.
“If we keep taking that forward into our remaining matches we will finish the season in a good place.”
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.
