Appearances & Goals To Date
Starting Lineup
| Youngest Player: | Liam Polworth (21 years 151 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Greg Tansey (2017 years 221 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 26 years 62 days |
| Domestic Players: | 5 (45.45 % of starting eleven) |
Matchday Squad
| Youngest Player: | Liam Polworth (21 years 151 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Greg Tansey (2017 years 221 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 26 years 253 days |
| Domestic Players: | 12 (66.67 % of matchday squad) |
First Team Debuts
Milestones
Replay required:
Inverness survived to fight another day after a 1-1 draw at Easter Road. James Keatings opened the scoring as the Hibees looked to be on the ascendency. Yogi had seen enough as the game passed the seventy minute mark and hooked Liam Polworth and Iain Vigurs. That altered our dynamic and it was all smiles when substitutes Lewis Horner and Andrea Mutombo combined for the latter to slam the ball home to send the tie towards a replay on 16th March.
The winner of this tie now also know who they will face as the draw has paired them with Dundee United, the other semi-final will be interesting as Celtic will play the Rangers.
Immortal Howden Ender has this report for us..............................
Well we are still in the cup and IF we beat Hibs - at home - we have avoided the Old Filth and the Arabs were clearly the best option, as they are probably saying about us or Hibs. Prior to the game I was really positive and optimistic. I had been talking to some Hibees on the train and they were staying that a lot of their mates were staying away. They were of the opinion that they would be getting thrashed. They also clearly dislike Mr Stokes as well. Pre-game in the Iona the spirits were flowing and “highs” all abounding. And for fifteen minutes that appeared to be the case but then it dawned that we had eight Ray Wilkins crabs in action. I am all for experimenting with systems but not away from home in a Scottish Cup Quarter Final. Personally I felt that was a sign of disrespect to Hibs. I feel that we totally underestimated them, we were cocky and we got what we deserved. Well in fact we didn’t – we didn’t get beat – but God knows how not. Perhaps I should also have read the stats for the cups this season as Hibs have knocked out Aberdire, St Jones Town, the Arabs and the Jam Tarts.
We were the better side early doors but it was the side to side, tippy tappy style that I detest. Pretty patterns but NO penetration whatsoever. 3-5-2 simply did not work. I wonder whether it was to accommodate Tansey, Vigurs and Draper in midfield. Tansey played too deep, Vigurs did not get the time and Draper was wasted. To me they are three players of similar ilk who all want the ball. Polworth never really went wide and spent a lot of time covering for the back four and our intrepid central midfield. How many times did Danny Williams get the ball but instead of going at defenders stopped and played a ball in to our midfield trio. And how may times was Storey caught offside – guilty mostly of not watching the line.
Two shots on target in a Cup Quarter Final is absolutely ridiculous. Hibs had 5 on target and despite our sideways passing Hibs had the bulk of the possession. And even when we were in the ascendancy, Hibs could have scored in the 9th minute when Gray and Fontaine produced great stops from Fon Williams and what looked like a third save of a goalbound effort in the melee that followed. And then four minutes later Keatings had the ball in the net but he did look offside. Following this we appeared to play a bit of side to side and either hoof or deliver a dreadful last ball. Polworth was the first to go in to the book and again our disciplinary problem of needless cautions may end up with us having half a team for the remaining games IF we progress.
I had hoped that the second half would produce an immediate change in tactics but it all stayed the same. Keatings had another shot on target, the eejits shouted fer a penalty against Devine and, of all people Stokes started the move for their goal. Keatings finished things off for his first goal in sixteen games. I thought that Tansey, Warren and Storey were beginning to lose the plot and we were lucky that one of them did not get a red card.
And then a miracle happened. A fan from the away support made a Van Gaal like message on his notepad, did a bit of origami and fired it into the Leith sky. It landed next to Yogi who handed it to Polworth. He read it and it started “get Polworth off” so he handed it to Warren. And that was the turnaround. We ended the game better although it was still end to end. And then fortunately we came up with a divine move. Lets give credit to the two substitutes who did both look lively. Horner produces the first overlap of the day, Roberts gets his first decent pass of the day, lays it off to MBUYI-MUTOMBO and goal and GOLD erupted on the terraces. In the dugout, Yogi gave Polworth an ear bashing, literally. His delight at Mutombo's goal warmed the lugs of the substituted midfielder who was left nursing his head after Yogi's robust celebration.
So we live to fight another day and we have Hibs away to Spain and hopefully going to penalties in the League Cup Final. They will have their missing stars back but I am not sure if that is an advantage or not. And the 800+ away support heaved a massive sigh of relief. 9800 altogether was a very disappointing turn out and I bet there were quite a few Hibees who wished that they had turned up, even if it was to boo Anthony Stokes. And as for Crawford Allan? Well at least he managed to maintain the performance status of Scottish refereeing and the main stand official must have been sponsored by Specsavers. It was all Hibs bias to begin with but at least he managed to even things up later. Lets hope for a better performance and a better result on March 16th and back to our second home on Sunday 17th April. Better to end on a Yogi quote - "I felt we were lacking a little bit up top but we have great team spirit and effort and I can't ask for anymore." No shit Sherlock.
Match report written by Immortal Howden Ender
