IT is fair to say that Ryan Porteous was not best pleased with Martin Boyle when his Hibernian team mate strayed offside just as he got his head on the end of a Kyle Magennis corner in the cinch Premiership game against St Mirren at Easter Road on Saturday.

Referee Kevin Clancy disallowed a resultant goal which would have pulled Hibs, who had fallen behind to an Eamonn Brophy strike a few minutes before half-time, level because of Boyle’s position.

It was the correct call by the match official regardless of whether the forward got a touch on it or not – he claimed he had not made contact with the ball, his manager Jack Ross disagreed - because he was interfering with play.

However, Scott Allan, whose introduction at the start of the second-half was the catalyst for an impressive fightback by the home side, revealed just how miffed Porteous had been after the 2-2 draw.

Asked if the striker was beating himself up for his carelessness, he said: “I think Ryan is beating him up! I just knew Porto wasn’t happy with that.”

Allan may well have felt like dishing out much the same treatment to Ross just before the transfer window closed at the end of last month when it emerged he could be heading from Edinburgh to Paisley as part of a swap deal for Jamie McGrath.

The former Dundee United, West Brom and Celtic man confirmed there had been words exchanged after the proposed move had fallen through. “Oh, we definitely spoke about it,” he said.

The 29-year-old, though, has grown accustomed to such episodes in a career that has seen him make no fewer than 13 temporary and permanent moves in 11 seasons. He realises that the best course of action is to do his talking on the park.

“Honestly, I’ve been through that many things with transfers and this and that,” said Allan. “I just take it as part of football now. I’ve been through a lot more difficult things than that. So these things happen. 

“You just have to move on, keep training hard, show what you can do and take any opportunity you get to play.”

He certainly did that at the weekend. He supplied the delivery that Paul McGinn volleyed home to equalise. His first-time chip over the heads of the visitors’ defence showed the vision and ability that he possesses. He has much to offer the capital club when fully fit and focused.

Allan spent five months out last season after being diagnosed with a heart condition that left him feeling tired and short of breath and went out on loan to Championship outfit Inverness Caledonian Thistle to get much-needed game time when he had recovered.   

But he is feeling in decent shape now and believes he can help Hibs, who only passed up the chance to move two points clear of Rangers at the top of the table when they allowed Joe Shaughnessy to net with two minutes remaining, to maintain their impressive early season form.

“I can definitely play 90 minutes,” he said. “The manager picks the team. That’s always the way it will be. When I get the chance, I need to show what I can do.”

He was pleased that he could help rouse Hibs to life after a disappointing first-half. “That’s just the player that I am,” he said. “I think if I was in anybody’s squad, if they were a goal down, I’d be the type of player you put on to try to maybe get yourselves back in the game.

“My mindset is that it’s just another game of football, a chance for me to get out there and show what I can do. Get on the park, try to make an impact on the game. I provided the assist for the equaliser and was happy at that moment to have been influential in the game.”

Boyle atoned for his earlier error when he slotted home a penalty to put Hibs 2-1 in front after Clancy ruled that Matt Millar had pulled down Porteous inside his area at another Magennis corner.

But Shaughnessy earned St Mirren a point at the death when he got in front of Josh Doig and on the end of a Scott Tanser cross and headed beyond Matt Macey.

The centre half argued that Jim Goodwin’s men had performed well enough in the match to record their first league win of the 2021/22 campaign. Still, he was encouraged do so well away against unbeaten rivals.  

“It is disappointing not to get the result,” he said. “But it was a good performance. We played really well. We looked a lot more solid. So the performances are there and I think the wins are going to come. The good thing was we created chances, whereas in the last few games we haven’t done that. So it’s all heading in the right direction.”