AT LEAST the search for a new manager keeps things interesting at Easter Road and provides some hope that the cloud over this stadium may lift.

If Michael O’Neill or Pat Fenlon – the two Irishmen interesting Hibernian – saw this game, though, they might think twice about leaving Shamrock Rovers or Bohemians respectively.

Kilmarnock totally outplayed Hibs before the break and reached it a goal ahead. Billy Brown, the hosts’ caretaker manager, made decisive changes at half time and an early second-half goal gave his side momentum, but Kilmarnock remained the more assured team, although not to the extent put forward by their manager, Kenny Shiels. “It is unbelievable that we didn’t win,” he said. “There was one of the starting 23 participants whose ineptitude had a major influence on the game.” The key marginal decisions did go against Kilmarnock, but they could have done more with their domination of possession.

Even without the unpopular Colin Calderwood, there was no relief from the dissatisfaction that has resided here since before he took charge.

It built and built with each misplaced pass by Hibs – there were very many of them – before erupting in the jeers that greeted a wildly misdirected free-kick by David Wotherspoon.

“The first half was the worst we have played in a long time,” said Hibs midfielder Lewis Stevenson. “You’re expecting the boos at half-time. If I was up there I’d probably do the same.”

Brown, previously Calderwood’s assistant, has been interviewed for the vacant post and showed us a little of his pitch after the game. “I am under consideration, along with others,” he said. “I hope it’s me. The way I go about things is what is needed here.”

Hibs spent the first half chasing the ball without success. Kilmar-nock’s possession game was made for a team so willing to give it up and who posted only one striker, Garry O’Connor, against a back four so comfortable with the ball.

Centre-backs Manuel Pascali and Mohamadou Sissoko, subdued O’Connor’s ability to provide an aerial out-ball. Only once did the Scotland man get clear of them, when Wotherspoon flicked a low cross from Stevenson behind the Kilmarnock line, but goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola was sharp off his mark.

Soon after this, Kilmarnock received reward for their delicate supremacy, but it needed something a little less subtle to unlock Hibs. Danny Buijs unloaded a monstrous drive from the corner of the penalty box. Graham Stack, the Hibs keeper, dropped to block the ball awkwardly, at knee height, and it bounced a couple of yards in front of him. The winner of the race to reach it first was Pascali, who blasted it high into the net over the recovering keeper.

At half-time, Brown replaced Michael Hart at his right-back with Richie Towell, and Danny Galbraith with Leigh Griffiths, a partner for the isolated O’Connor. Four minutes after the restart, Griffiths scored.

Ivan Sproule dribbled in from the left and struck a low shot that was poorly fielded by Jaakkola. Griffiths swung a fine shot across goal and in off the far post from a demanding angle. A minute later he was in again, from the right this time, but with Sproule screaming for the ball, without company in the middle, Griffiths pulled the trigger and misfired.

That would have been far more than Hibs merited, as Kilmarnock still played their way regularly into dangerous positions around the home goal. Dean Shiels teased a spare yard inside the box and struck a shot at Stack’s chest, but the keeper batted it away, before dealing similarly with a shot from James Dayton.