Little to console Fenlon after another home loss

In a Boxing Day bout that –much to the ire of most who watched it – went the distance, one young Hibernian fan took out his new hand-held games console, proudly showing off his goalscoring to those around him. If only those on the park had been able to net with the same ease.

In this dogged 1-0 defeat by Ross County, courtesy of a 57th-minute header from Richard Brittain, Pat Fenlon, the Easter Road manager, watched his side lose their third home league game on the bounce. His troops remain fourth in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League after picking up just one point in December. It came as little surprise, then, that the Irishman wasn't exactly full of festive cheer.

"We had a couple of chances in the second half but we didn't play well," he said. "We're the home team and the emphasis is on us to go and win the game and we didn't do it. I just feel we have stopped a little bit. Getting to the points total that we did should encourage us to kick on and be better. That's the key for us to push on as a team."

In their previous meeting this season, County came out on top 3-2 in the Highlands. So it is unlikely to have come as much of a surprise to those of a County persuasion that Derek Adams masterminded his side's second away win of the campaign.

The Ross County manager, who was No.2 for a short period at Easter Road before leaving in May 2011, was rightly delighted that his charges managed to carve a goal out of a game that was largely devoid of quality. "Hibs didn't create much, which is great from my point of view," he said. "We've had a great 2012."

The tone of the first half was bluntly summed up on 15 minutes in the form of the contest's first shot on target, with rampaging right-back Tim Clancy breenging forward to pounce on a half-cleared cross. Unfortunately for the former Motherwell man, his delicate and precise drive narrowly avoided the cameraman perched in the top tier.

Hibernian welcomed back James McPake from suspension for yesterday's tussle, and it was the captain who came closest to breaching the County defence in the first half, glancing a Leigh Griffiths' corner just wide of the far post after 10 minutes.

The second half was to last just 45 seconds for the visitors' Stuart Kettlewell, with the midfielder crumbling to the ground clutching his right hamstring while chasing a through ball from Mihael Kovacevic. Paul Lawson was brought on in his place.

The introduction of the 28-year-old did little to alter a game that was about as enjoyable as turkey leftovers. But, despite the switch, the Highlanders managed to pluck a goal out of nothing on 57 minutes, Iain Vigurs gathering the ball wide left before crossing for Brittain, who somehow managed to loop a shot over Ben Williams and into the top corner from a spot just inside the area.

To say that the strike was the catalyst for some thrilling football would be an overstatement, yet it did seem to rouse the hosts as they began to probe. Eoin Doyle somehow managed to head over from three yards out after a pinpoint cross from Ryan McGivern on 70 minutes, before substitute Jorge Claros' shot from the edge of the area produced a good save from former Hibernian goalkeeper Mark Brown.

With momentum building, Hibs had the ball in the net on 74 minutes, Brown spilling a 20-yard strike from Griffiths into the path of the offside Doyle, whose composed finish was to go unrewarded.

The late charge may have carried courage and determination, but all too often it lacked penetration as Griffiths was reduced to pot shots from distance while McGivern spurned the only real opening during a frantic finish.

"We're not worried about what's below us, we're focused on what is above us," said Brittain, whose side are now nine points ahead of bottom-placed Dundee. "I'm a firm believer in if you keep looking back, then that's the way you'll go."

THE use of goal-line technology has been tested in recent weeks in a bid to improve the experience at grounds on a matchday. Yesterday, however, a different kind of gadget prompted a rare outbreak of excitement at Easter Road.

In a Boxing Day bout that –much to the ire of most who watched it – went the distance, one young Hibernian fan took out his new hand-held games console, proudly showing off his goalscoring to those around him. If only those on the park had been able to net with the same ease.

In this dogged 1-0 defeat by Ross County, courtesy of a 57th-minute header from Richard Brittain, Pat Fenlon, the Easter Road manager, watched his side lose their third home league game on the bounce. His troops remain fourth in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League after picking up just one point in December. It came as little surprise, then, that the Irishman wasn't exactly full of festive cheer.

"We had a couple of chances in the second half but we didn't play well," he said. "We're the home team and the emphasis is on us to go and win the game and we didn't do it. I just feel we have stopped a little bit. Getting to the points total that we did should encourage us to kick on and be better. That's the key for us to push on as a team."

In their previous meeting this season, County came out on top 3-2 in the Highlands. So it is unlikely to have come as much of a surprise to those of a County persuasion that Derek Adams masterminded his side's second away win of the campaign.

The Ross County manager, who was No.2 for a short period at Easter Road before leaving in May 2011, was rightly delighted that his charges managed to carve a goal out of a game that was largely devoid of quality. "Hibs didn't create much, which is great from my point of view," he said. "We've had a great 2012."

The tone of the first half was bluntly summed up on 15 minutes in the form of the contest's first shot on target, with rampaging right-back Tim Clancy breenging forward to pounce on a half-cleared cross. Unfortunately for the former Motherwell man, his delicate and precise drive narrowly avoided the cameraman perched in the top tier.

Hibernian welcomed back James McPake from suspension for yesterday's tussle, and it was the captain who came closest to breaching the County defence in the first half, glancing a Leigh Griffiths' corner just wide of the far post after 10 minutes.

The second half was to last just 45 seconds for the visitors' Stuart Kettlewell, with the midfielder crumbling to the ground clutching his right hamstring while chasing a through ball from Mihael Kovacevic. Paul Lawson was brought on in his place.

The introduction of the 28-year-old did little to alter a game that was about as enjoyable as turkey leftovers. But, despite the switch, the Highlanders managed to pluck a goal out of nothing on 57 minutes, Iain Vigurs gathering the ball wide left before crossing for Brittain, who somehow managed to loop a shot over Ben Williams and into the top corner from a spot just inside the area.

To say that the strike was the catalyst for some thrilling football would be an overstatement, yet it did seem to rouse the hosts as they began to probe. Eoin Doyle somehow managed to head over from three yards out after a pinpoint cross from Ryan McGivern on 70 minutes, before substitute Jorge Claros' shot from the edge of the area produced a good save from former Hibernian goalkeeper Mark Brown.

With momentum building, Hibs had the ball in the net on 74 minutes, Brown spilling a 20-yard strike from Griffiths into the path of the offside Doyle, whose composed finish was to go unrewarded.

The late charge may have carried courage and determination, but all too often it lacked penetration as Griffiths was reduced to pot shots from distance while McGivern spurned the only real opening during a frantic finish.

"We're not worried about what's below us, we're focused on what is above us," said Brittain, whose side are now nine points ahead of bottom-placed Dundee. "I'm a firm believer in if you keep looking back, then that's the way you'll go."