Hibernian 2 Inverness CT 2: Super poopers

Sunday 23 September 2012

IT turned out to be as premature as it was blindly optimistic.

Richie Foran, left, equalises for Inverness to spoil the party atmosphere for Hibs fansPhotograph: SNS

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Scott Mullen

"We're gonnae win the league," was the chant from the vociferous Hibernian support that rippled through the crisp air from the stands at Easter Road just 31 minutes in.

The home side appeared to be cruising towards their fourth victory of the season after going 2-0 up against a stalling Inverness Caledonian Thistle. But skip forward an hour, and the early party atmosphere had been well and truly pooped as the Highlanders fought back to grab a 2-2 draw.

It is perhaps a mark of the progress made in recent months that Hibs manager Pat Fenlon was disappointed that his team did not claim the win that would have taken them clear at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. However, it can't be avoided that his side yesterday performed the role of two men – Dr Jekyll and and Mr Hyde. The victory and the summit of the table were within their grasp after a blistering start defined by goals from Eoin Doyle and David Wotherspoon. Their good work was undone far too easily in a manner that has become familiar to those of an Easter Road persuasion."It's disappointing not to get the three points but I can't be overly critical," Fenlon said. "We played some good stuff in the first half and probably could have been out of sight at half-time."We knew Terry [Butcher] would get them to come out in the second half and be a bit more competitive and in our faces. But sometimes you get days like these."Fenlon has taken the struggling side he inherited at Easter Road and transformed it into a polished ensemble this season. Frontman Leigh Griffiths, was conspicuous by his absence, but strike partner Doyle more than filled the gap in the early exchanges. It took him 23 minutes to open his account after he hungrily scampered on to a Paul Cairney ball put it beyond Ryan Esson in the Inverness goal at the second attempt. It looked as if it would be the first of many as eight minutes later David Wotherspoon's 25-yard right-foot volley went crashing into the roof of the net. Cue celebrations, three points, and a few verses from the home support.Little did they know how their side's afternoon was to unravel from there on in. "The fans have had two or three years of very poor performances here so they are entitled to enjoy themselves," Fenlon said. "They pay their money and back the team. I'm delighted for them that they see the team are progressing and they're behind them. As players and managers you try not to think about that, it's just about getting points for us and seeing where it takes us."Inverness manager Butcher has created a side in his own image. Despite being out-passed in the first 30 minutes, they began to claw their way back into the match with spirit, determination and, at times, brute force. Their play was eventually rewarded with a goal from 18-year-old Conor Pepper, enjoying his first start for the Highlanders after signing in the summer. He outmuscled Alan Maybury before drilling a shot off the post and into the net to start the fightback.Given their visitors' track record so far this season of clawing goals back, Hibs should have been prepared for what was coming. The game already seemed to be drifting towards a draw before Richie Foran, Inverness's talismanic skipper who seemed to cover every blade of grass in a frenetic second half, scrambled the ball over the line on 81 minutes after the home defence failed to clear their lines to earn a deserved point .The result backed up the belief that Butcher has players at his disposal who can learn from their mistakes and progress up the league, but the Englishman is a hard to please."I said to the players again afterwards that I don't want to go through that every week," an emotionally-drained Butcher said. "When they apply themselves they can play but they didn't do that in the first 30 minutes."At 2-0 I feared the worst. They ran us ragged and deserved their lead. It was then out of nothing that Conor Pepper scored."Without a league victory this season, Butcher added: "I'm desperate for a boring 1-0 win. That would be my utopia."For Hibernian, the draw ensured that they would have to settle for being joint top of the table with Motherwell, albeit perhaps only for 24 hours. Still, that has got to be worth shouting about.Super poopersSuper poopers

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Hibernian 2 Inverness CT 2: Super poopers

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