Hibs first team started their 2021-22 pre-season with an impressive 4-1 win over Dunfermline Athletic at Hibernian Training Centre this afternoon.
Head Coach Jack Ross fielded a strong first-half XI and Hibs took the lead after 33 minutes when Daniel Mackay slid through the keeper’s legs on his non-competitive debut.
First-half XI: Macey, Campbell, Porteous, Brydon, Stevenson, Newell, Doyle-Hayes, Wright, Allan, Mackay, Gullan.
Ross made 11 changes at the break and Hibs doubled their lead when Jamie Murphy cut in from the left and curled the ball into the far corner.
Steven Bradley made it 3-0 just after the hour mark with a low effort which went in off the post.
Dunfermline pulled one back late on when Kevin O’Hara capitalised on a mistake at the back and finished from close range.
In the final minutes 16-year-old Connor Young scored his first goal with the senior team showing strong composure to finish low into the right corner.
Second-half XI: Dabrowski, McGinn McGregor, Hanlon, Magennis, Gogic, Bradley, Mallan, Murphy, McIntyre, Young
The win comes less than 24 hours after our development squad beat Strollers 5-3 on Friday night with Josh O’Connor, son of Gary, scoring a hat-trick at Civil Service Strollers in front of 250 Hibs fans.
Murray Aiken set up Robbie Hamilton for the opener early on in the first-half then the 2020 Academy graduate got his second assist before the break this time setting up 17-year-old striker O’Connor with a quality ball in from the right.
Jonathan Moffat pulled one back with a powerful finish, but Aiken made it 3-1 showing strong composure to beat home keeper Mac Whyte.
In the second-half O’Connor won a penalty which he confidently converted down the middle for 4-1.
Alieay Faye made it 4-2 from the penalty spot then trialist Joao Balde cutting the deficit to just one, but O’Connor wrapped up the victory and completed his hat-trick late on.
Sporting director Graeme Mathie and first-team coach David Gray were also in attendance.
Hibs Squad: Johnson, Blaney, Fairley, MacIntyre, Hamilton, Gallantes, Currie, Laidlaw, O’Connor, Aiken and four trialists.
The first team now travel to England for a four-day training camp including two more behind-closed doors friendlies.
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.
