A youthful Hibernian Academy side suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to senior opponents Haddington Athletic in an action-packed pre-season friendly at Millfield.
Following an impressive away victory over Lowland League East outfit Musselburgh Athletic at the weekend, Darren McGregor’s squad was handed another physical, senior test. Despite missing a host of regular starters, the young Hibees—heavily featuring Under-17 talents—delivered a robust and highly encouraging performance against their more experienced hosts.
The visitors looked lively from the first whistle and nearly took the lead inside two minutes. Cole Shankland found Josh McDonald in attack, but the forward could only strike the side-netting.
Haddington responded immediately and ruthlessly. Just a minute later, Ryan Cameron’s curved cross from the right wing found Grant Rose, who finished clinically from close range to make it 1-0 to the hosts.
Hibs hastily regrouped and began to dominate possession, utilizing a shifted system that saw Logan Jimenez pushed into a higher, more central attacking role. Having featured as a left-wingback in his previous outing, Jimenez provided a dynamic aerial presence and a central focal point alongside McDonald.
Hibs peppered the Haddington box, with Callum MacDonald, Alisdair Burns, and McDonald all testing the hosts' goalkeeper. Haddington remained dangerous on the break, forcing Ryan Mallon into a spectacular finger-tip save onto the crossbar to deny Tom Davies.
Before the break, Jimenez was at the heart of Hibs' best chances. After failing to convert a clever pass from Burns, the Bermudian international turned playmaker. Jimenez picked up the ball and delivered a precise, intelligent cutback to a Hibs trialist, who was agonizingly denied by the crossbar.
McGregor's side got the reward their pressure deserved just 30 seconds into the second half. The energetic Shankland caused havoc down the right flank, firing a low, piercing delivery across the face of goal that was turned into the net by a Haddington defender to level the scores at 1-1.
Hibs defended resolutely, with crucial interventions from youngsters Lewis McNeill, Waldman, and Riddell keeping the hosts at bay. However, Haddington struck the decisive blow in the 57th minute. Following a lightning-quick counter-attack orchestrated by Mark McGovern and winger Cameron, Davies was on hand to apply a simple finish to make it 2-1.
McGregor turned to his bench to inject fresh energy, introducing Zoba Aghanya. The substitute made an immediate impact, driving directly at the Haddington defense before threading a brilliant pass to Jimenez.
Jimenez struck it well, but was denied a deserved goal as a Haddington defender made a heroic, last-ditch clearance to safety.
Though the young Hibs pressed hard until the final whistle, clear-cut opportunities dried up in the final half-hour of a grueling, highly beneficial pre-season workout.
|
