Killie open the
year with their 3rd 90th min goal in a row, to earn a deserved point in
an end to end affair with Hibs, which ended 2-2. Young
Naismith opened the scoring for Killie, and it was Gary
Wales (for the 2nd match in a row) that snatched the injury time
goal. This was Killie's first point off of a team above them in the SPL.
Gary Wales was rewarded by Jim Jefferies (as was Mowbray) who was
confined to the main stand for this match, for his
last-gasp
winner against Dundee United with a rare start up front and he
offered two early threats to Hibs.
He burst into the box in the opening minute before being stopped by a
desperate tackle from Stephen Glass and then hooked a difficult volley
narrowly wide seconds later.
Right-back Steven Whittaker offered Hibs' first threat after 11
minutes with a fierce drive just over and seven minutes later a superb
crossfield ball from Kevin Thomson picked out Derek Riordan and his
excellent centre was just missed by O'Connor on the six-yard line.
Scotland striker O'Connor - recalled in place of suspended midfielder
Scott Brown - forced Alan Combe into a brilliant save in the 21st minute
with a sweet strike from just outside the box as Hibs pressed for the
opener.
The visitors suffered a blow in the 24th minute, though, when French
playmaker Guillaume Beuzelin had to be carried off on a stretcher,
meaning Hogg came on to replace him with Gary Caldwell moving from
centre-half into midfield.
The change undoubtedly affected Hibs' momentum and on the half-hour
Stephen Naismith (above) fired Killie ahead with a fine 25-yard
effort which Zbigniew Malkowski really ought to have kept out.
Malkowski was almost caught out again six minutes later when James
Fowler spotted him trying to anticipate a cross and went for goal, the
Polish keeper having to quickly recover his ground.
Malkowski did, however, do well just before half-time to keep out
fit-again Allan Johnston from close range after the former Hearts man
had brilliantly wriggled free on the touchline.
Unsurprisingly, Hibs began the second half with plenty of intent and
from Thomson's inswinging 60th-minute corner substitute Hogg lashed the
equaliser high into the net after a furious scramble inside the Killie
six-yard box.
Danny Invincibile could have regained Killie's lead a minute later
but he fired wildly over from a tight angle and it was to be his last
involvement as Jefferies replaced him with Gary McDonald.
The visitors made a second enforced substitution of the day when
experienced centre-half Gary Smith hobbled off in the 75th minute to be
replaced by Dutchman Humphrey Rudge.
But, unlike in the first half, Mowbray's men did not stutter after
the switch and continued to press for the winner.
Their efforts were rewarded five minutes from time when Caldwell slid
O'Connor through and he made no mistake, firing clinically into the top
left-hand corner for his ninth SPL goal of the season.
But "never say die" (KTWD!) Killie would not be denied, and with more
than a minute into injury time Gary Wales (right) struck the
equaliser from close range, after substitute Paul Di Giacomo's header had come back
off the post, to give his side a well deserved point.
Killie could also have nicked all three points at the death if Jacko
had managed to control better when through on the left of the box but
the ball bounced badly off his thigh and back to the Hibernian 'keeper.
Still, probably a fair result overall!
Fixtures & Results
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League Table
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JJ's Comments
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Season Diary
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Match Pics