Hibs league campaign opened with a disappointing 3-0 loss to St Mirren in Paisley.
David Gray kept faith with the starting XI that beat Peterhead last weekend.
New signing Mykola Kuharevich; the Ukrainian striker returned to the Club on a season-long loan from Swansea City and had to be content with a place on the bench.
Hibs took 1,600 fans through to Paisley and both sides created chances in an evenly fought first half.
Hibs had the best chance when Jordan Obita’s cross found Dylan Vente but he was unable force the ball over the line.
And former Hibs player Alex Gogic almost turned the ball into his own net following a cross from Rudi Molotnikov.
The hosts took the lead shortly after the restart with a superb strike from Roland Idowu.
The game then saw a lengthy delay as the VAR suffered technological issues and became non-operational.
Martin Boyle then latched onto Molotnikov’s cross, but his first shot was blocked as Hibs pressed for an equaliser.
The youngster was then replaced by Chris Cadden. Moments later Luke Amos and Kuharevich replaced Nathan Moriah-Welsh and Vente respectively.
With 13 minutes remaining Marvin Ekpiteta’s back pass was intercepted by James Scott who did well to turn and hang a cross up for Oisin Smyth to head past Josef Bursik.
Just two minutes later and St Mirren scored again. This time Scott’s low cross was swept into the net by Smyth for his second of the day.
Afterwards a disappointed Gray told BBC Scotland: The performance is irrelevant when you lose the game 3-0.
“I can’t accept that, we can’t accept that moving forward.
“In the first half we had enough chances to go in front. We don’t take them. It’s been a theme for a wee while.
“The goal we lose starts with three or four mistakes and we can never accept that.
“It’s nowhere near where we need to be. The standards have been set from day one. We know in both boxes we weren’t good enough again today and that’s a concern.”
Hibs face Celtic at Easter Road next weekend then at Parkhead in the Premier Sports League Cup a week later.
St Mirren: Balcombe, Rooney, Fraser, Gogic, R Taylor, Tanser, Adeniran, Boyd-Munce, Idowu, Olusanya, Ayunga.
Substitutes: Urminsky, Iacovitti, Kenny, Bwomono, Brown, F Taylor, Smyth, Scott, Mandron.
Hibs: Bursik, Miller, Ekpiteta, O’Hora, Obita, Moriah-Welsh, Newell, Campbell, Molotnikov, Boyle, Vente.
Substitutes: Smith, Levitt, Cadden, Amos, McKirdy, Megwa, Tavares, Bushiri, Kuharevich.
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.
