St Mirren 1 Hibernian 2: Griffiths on the rise as striker finds top gear

Richard Winton

Assistant Sports Editor

Monday 20 August 2012

AT least Jim Goodwin was proved correct in one of his observations.

Leigh Griffiths was the difference between the teams

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Richard Winton

While much pre-match chatter surrounded the St Mirren captain's contention that his side should aspire to finish second in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, it was his less-heralded assessment of the Paisley club's attacking capabilities that were evidenced more convincingly in this defeat.

The midfielder had talked on Friday about defensive resolve being bolstered by the return of Darren McGregor after a serious knee injury and of the attack, last term their Achilles heel, being enhanced by Sam Parkin and Lewis Guy. By Saturday, McGregor had suffered a suspected cruciate injury to his other knee while the suspended Guy watched Parkin toil to breach Hibs' previously porous back four.Separated by the length of the table at kick off, the two sides are now split by goal difference after St Mirren were let down once again by their familiar failings in front of goal. There was, however, one stylistic difference. Instead of the kind of over- elaboration in the final third which hindered them last term, Danny Lennon's side opted for a more prosaic approach during a half-hour aerial bombardment of the visitors' penalty area. The width belatedly offered by Dougie Imrie and Gary Teale provided plenty of service for Parkin and Stephen Thompson but could not force that elusive second goal. "That's different for us because normally we try to play it in," said Paul McGowan, who had contributed to the profligacy with a first-half penalty miss. "But now we've got two target men and can mix it up because teams were coming and knowing what we were going to do."What St Mirren don't have, however, is a player such as Leigh Griffiths. Quite simply, the combustible attacker was the difference between the sides on Saturday, his two goals taking his tally to three in three appearances this term. Yet while his finishing was clinical, there was more to savour about the 21-year-old's performance: his movement was exceptional, his workrate beyond reproach and his ingenuity unrivalled.At times, St Mirren's vexed defenders were utterly bamboozled. "He's as good as anyone in Scotland when he is on his game and I know the qualities that he has because I play against him in training every day," said captain James McPake, who was in the Livingston XI on the day the then 16-year-old Griffiths scored his first senior goal against Ross County. "He was the same as now, although then you couldn't tell him anything but now you can get in his ear a bit. He's already earned a move to a big club in Wolves and I've no doubt that he can either go back there and do well or go to an even bigger club and score goals because he has that talent."It is easy to overlook Griffiths' youth, given the years that have passed since his emergence, something that Pat Fenlon alluded to on Saturday evening when discussing the recruitment of Shefki Kuqi. The experienced striker, said the manager, can help the youngster develop yet further but also help bolster a Hibs team that is gradually finding a backbone, with McPake and Kuqi joined by goalkeeper Ben Williams and midfielder Gary Deegan down the spine of the side.Certainly, the way the visitors rode out the St Mirren storm was in marked contrast to the manner in which Dundee United bullied them in the opening game of the season and hints at a potential change in fortunes should they continue in that vein. For St Mirren, though, some things appear destined to remain the same.

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St Mirren 1 Hibernian 2: Griffiths on the rise as striker finds top gear

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