THE talk was all of strikers old and new around Easter Road yesterday afternoon but, as is so often the case in these parts, Hibernian's inability to keep the door bolted at the back would prove to be their undoing.
It does not seem uncharitable to suggest the focus among the Leith club's long-suffering supporters, who ended up booing their side off the park, is now switching very much to the future of manager Pat Fenlon.
The visit of Motherwell was used as a second attempt to honour the memory of the late Lawrie Reilly after Malmo had turned the last tribute to that mercurial member of The Famous Five into an evening perhaps more memorable for a magnificent seven. It also marked the debut of the latest centre-forward to follow in the footsteps of the Scotland legend in Englishman James Collins. Handed the onerous task of replacing Leigh Griffiths, all eyes were on him as he warmed up pre-match with a specially-designed T-shirt bearing Reilly's name on the back. He did not do that badly, considering he was forced to spend large chunks of the encounter isolated up front as his side, with no shortage of success, put the emphasis on shutting down their guests' more creative players. He will surely do better when his team-mates actually start giving him the ball.
However, after getting themselves back into a match that had appeared to be drifting away a little towards the end of the opening period, Fenlon's side exhibited their uncanny ability to lose the plot in defence during a chaotic period towards the end and gifted Henri Anier, Motherwell's loan signing from Norwegian club Viking Stavanger, the opportunity to show everyone the secret of successful finishing.
Fenlon has not been helped by injuries and suspensions. However, whatever he may feel, defeat by Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday will surely bring rumbling discontent over the spiky little Irishman's reign to a crescendo.
The beginning of the end came for the home side on 79 minutes when John Sutton capitalised on some real sleepy-headedness to latch onto Iain Vigurs' diagonal pass. His low shot was nicely struck, but goalkeeper Ben Williams - standing in as captain for the injured James McPake - did well to touch his angled effort behind.
Williams was then forced to produce a marvellous reaction save from Stephen McManus' header from the corner and, even though the team had stood its ground fairly well until then and forced a frustrated James McFadden to be taken off the park, the alarm bells were ringing all around the ground. The home rearguard, with Michael Nelson taking his bow at the heart of it, paid scant attention.
Just four minutes after Sutton had been allowed to career up the left, Anier, thrown on for the largely ineffective Bob McHugh, was left alone in the same area of the park to move onto a long headed ball from McManus and secure the three points. The Estonian, who reported himself eager to get on the phone to countryman and former Fir Park forward Henrik Ojamaa after the final whistle, waited to see the whites of Williams' eyes and stayed commendably cool to slot the ball into the keeper's right-hand corner.
"It was a sore one to take because I didn't think we deserved to lose," said Fenlon, who saw winger Alex Harris taken to hospital with an ankle injury sustained in the second half. "Defensively, we were solid and it's annoying we dealt with Motherwell's shape and the likes of McFadden playing in the hole.
"Their first real chance came from a long ball and it's about concentration and ball-watching rather than being aware of what's around you. Ben made a good save, but it was the same thing for the goal.
"I don't whether they [the fans] booed the team off or booed me off, maybe. It doesn't trouble me. It's not relevant from my point of view and I'd probably do the same if I was sitting up there."
Hibs genuinely weren't that bad. They started relatively well, faded towards the end of the opening period and made several chances after the break. Bob McHugh missed a fine chance from a header, but Liam Craig forced a save from Lee Hollis with a low free-kick a little after the interval and Collins sent a flashing header just wide from a Fraser Mullen cross before the hour.
Craig then came within millimetres of connecting with a terrific low cross from Harris and Hollis produced a spectacular stop from a Scott Robertson effort from distance after Collins had fashioned the chance with his physical strength. That's when the roof fell in for Hibs, though. There's a danger the entire house of cards could be next.
"Hibs have a few injured and suspended, so I'm sure they'll feel hard done by," said Stuart McCall, the Motherwell manager. "I'm sure Collins will be a threat when he's up and running and I just think we were defensively strong, which was the key to us winning."
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