News Archive

27 February 2010
MANAGER PLEASED WITH REACTION TO EARLY SET-BACK

Derek McInnes praised his players for the way they bounced back from losing an early goal at Easter Road today to take a point from a 1-1- draw.

On a day charged with emotion at the Edinburgh venue, Saints conceded a penalty after just one minute and twenty seconds of play when Graeme Smith upended Colin Nish and Anthony Stokes gave John Hughes’ side the lead.

However, Saints steadied the ship and having looked every bit as likely as the home side to take something from the game minutes that followed, Liam Craig nudged himself into the position of the club’s top scorer when he netted his eight of the season five minutes from the end, his penalty spot success coming after a Hibs hand ball.

Both sides had other claims for penalties turned down and at the end McInnes felt that a point was the least his side deserved.

“I have to credit the players for keeping going. I warned them before the game that Hibs would go at it from start and so it proved.

“But the boys reacted as they always do in those circumstances – and that’s not something I take for granted – and went onto restrict Hibs to very few opportunities.”

The manager revealed that he had planned to name an unchanged starting line-up from the side which demolished Hibs in Perth ten days previously but Graham Gartland, having been suffering with a bug for a couple of days, took ill after arriving at Easter Road but it was early enough to allow Danny Grainger to step in without having to change the team sheets.

McInnes concluded, “At 1-1, we kept knocking on the door and could have won it but a draw was the very least we deserved.”
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