St Mirren booked their place in the IRN-BRU Cup quarter final after a 2-1 win away to Hibs in caretaker Allan McManus' final game in charge. Jack Ross was appointed as new manager earlier this week but it was McManus who took Saints one final time and the Head of Youth Development at the Buddies signed off in perfect fashion with St Mirren into the hat for the next round of the cup.
Hibs started the game on top with an early offside flag foiling James Keatings before Andrew Shinnie went close with just two minutes on the clock when he cut in from the left but dragged his shot wide of Langfield's near post. However, St Mirren grew into the game and had a great opportunity to open the scoring when Tom Walsh robbed Jordan Forster in the final third and burst in on goal but the effort from a tight angle was tame and nestled into the arms of Marciano.
A foul by Walsh on Martin Boyle yielded a free kick for Hibs from which Keatings flashed a teasing ball across the box but nobody could get on the end of it with Hibees captain David Gray coming close as he ghosted in at the back post.
It was a drab encounter with very little in the way of goalmouth action. Shinnie had a shot blocked for the hosts whilst Stephen Mallan put a long range shot straight into the arms of Marciano.
Hibs took the lead with less than 10 minutes until half-time through Alex Harris. The winger cut in from the left and got away from Kyle Hutton - who slipped - before dispatching the ball beyond Langfield. There was nothing the goalkeeper could do and it looked like Hibs would be going into the break ahead.
But St Mirren were back on level terms following a stunning free kick from Mallan after Rocco Quinn was fouled 25 yards outside the box by Dylan McGeouch. It was Mallan territory as the 20 year-old stepped up and dispatched the free kick beyond the reach of Marciano to the delight of the travelling Saints fans. It was Mallan's second of the season after scoring in the previous round of the IRN-BRU Cup against Albion Rovers and was reminiscent of his goal against Hibs at Easter Road in January.
Half Time: Hibernian 1-1 St Mirren
Saints came out in the second half buoyed by Mallan's goal and had an early penalty shout denied when John Sutton looked to have been pulled back in the box but Willie Collum was unmoved.
Hibs took control in the second half though and there was a huge let off for the Buddies on 50 minutes when Keatings ballooned a shot over the bar. David Gray's low cross along the box found the striker in loads of space but, with the goal gaping, he fired it over the bar. Had he hit the target it was sure to have gone in and the Hibees man will have been disappointed that he failed to do so.
The hosts almost got themselves back in front with a long range fizzer from Dylan McGeouch. McGeouch was pulling the strings in the Hibees midfield and he was unlucky to see his effort crack off the post but it was another let-off for the Buddies.
Allan McManus responded by changing shape from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-1-1 with the introduction of David Clarkson, coming on for Rocco Quinn but it was still Hibs who were having the better of the game and less than a minute after the sub they could've been 2-1 ahead when Alex Harris got on the end of Fyvie's long pass but Langfield was equal to his deft touch, denying him a second goal.
Lawrence Shankland was Saints final substitution and it was a sub that paid dividends almost immediately as he linked up with David Clarkson to set up St Mirren's second goal. The striker brilliantly picked out Clarkson who had burst into the box and he slid in to poke the ball beyond Marciano. Hibs were furious as they felt Shankland had got a touch on the ball from an offside position after Clarkson hit the shot but that wasn't the case and the goal stood.
There were a few heart in mouth moments for Saints before the contest was over with a fantastic last ditch challenge from Baird denying Jason Cummings before Marvin Bartley put a header straight into Langfield's arms right at the death. However, this was to be St Mirren's day and they march on in the IRN-BRU Cup.
FULL TIME: Hibernian 1-2 St Mirren
St Mirren: Langfield, Naismith, MacKenzie, Baird, Irvine, Hutton, Quinn (Clarkson 63), Mallan, Walsh (Gallagher 74), Morgan, Sutton (Shankland 82)
Subs not used: Willison, McDonald, Whyte, O'Keefe
Hibernian: Marciano, Gray, McGregor, Forster, Hanlon, Fyvie, McGeouch, Shinnie (Bartley 69), Boyle (Cummings 69), Harris (Holt 84) , Keatings
Subs not used: Laidlaw, Stevenson, Eardley, Graham
Referee: William Collum
Assistant Referee: Brian Templeton
Assistant Referee: Gordon Crawford
Attendance: 4,392
Match report and gallery pictures by John Millar – © John Millar.
