Hibs crisis deepens amid chaotic scenes: fans turn on duo, player escorted off pitch, David Gray let down

Football’s a brutal old business, whether you’ve scored the most celebrated goal in the club’s history or not. St Mirren have become expert at carrying a scythe and laying it down outside the manager's door at Edinburgh clubs. They made Steven Naismith’s job untenable after a 2-1 win over Hearts in Paisley. Have they now invited Hibs to put David Gray out of the misery many feared might be his fate when he signed a three-year deal in June? It might turn out that a dramatic finale, when Hibs actually thought they had plundered an equaliser through substitute Nicky Cadden in the fourth minute of time added on, has helped preserve Gray.

It was a ridiculous end to a match in which St Mirren had seemed to be cruising. Although the offside call meant Hibs still yielded nothing from the afternoon, the burst of life that saw Cadden also score one that counted from the penalty spot might see clemency granted to a club hero. Gray deserves such grace. His players perhaps not so much.

The chaotic scenes continued post-match. Elie Youan had to be escorted from the park by two stewards after seemingly trying to pick fights with fans in all three home stands. Gray himself made a dignified exit having shaken hands on the pitch although it seemed he didn’t want to hear whatever pearls of wisdom opposite number Stephen Robinson was trying to offer him.

It was an understandably crushing afternoon for the manager. A home match against the Buddies was an opportunity to lift themselves off the bottom of the league and they flunked it horribly. What might have been had Martin Boyle made the net bulge with the penalty awarded on the hour mark, just after St Mirren defender Richard Taylor had hit the bar with a header for 3-0. Who knows? Boyle's effort, tame and lacking conviction, said everything about Hibs at present. St Mirren ‘keeper Ellery Balcombe guessed right but only needed to fall on it.

Boyle was taken off a couple of minutes later along with Junior Hoillet as Gray rolled his last two dice. Harry McKirdy came on, as did the clearly unfit Dwight Gayle. It wasn’t looking good.

The powerful and resourceful visitors held on although it seemed a little insulting in view of their earlier domination that it involved such stress. Cadden was given the chance to score his first goal for Hibs three minutes into time added on after Joe Newell’s shot had struck Alex Gogic’s arm.

Cadden sent Balcombe the wrong way from the spot for a consolation goal, if it was even that considering so few Hibs fans were still in the ground to see it. Although maybe not. For perhaps the first time in the entire afternoon, St Mirren suddenly looked ragged. It almost cost them. 

A Cadden shot from around the penalty spot struck Gayle and ricocheted into the net to send the thousands, or was it hundreds by this point, of Hibs fans into ecstasy. A point might have been scoffed at beforehand given the team's plight but they would have taken it in these circumstances. Sadly for them, and many knew what was coming, the goal was chalked off after an unnecessarily long VAR check. Cruelty upon cruelty.

St Mirren got what they deserved – three points, and their first away win of the season. They feasted on the anxiety surrounding Easter Road, something they failed to do at Tynecastle a few weeks ago. They struck early, after just 16 minutes, when McMenamin deftly steered Scott Tanser’s cross into the far corner. The same player then took advantage of Warren O’Hora’s poor touch before advancing on goal. Hibs fans feared the worst as the No.10 steadied himself and they were right to do so, with the ball flying in off Josef Bursik’s arm at his near post and into the roof of the net.

Barely half an hour into a game many were claiming was must-win and the hosts were two down. The first half only underlined what Hibs are: a collection of decent football players assembled with little cohesion and, it seems, even less direction.

Is it on the manager? Every atom in a Hibs fan’s being might wish that it wasn’t so. After McMenamin's second, the doughty denizens of Block Seven turned their attention to a figure sitting above Gray. Malky Mackay has only been sporting director since the summer but has quickly become a lightning rod for the fans’ disaffection. Both he and CEO Ben Kensell endured an uncomfortable few minutes at the end as supporters gathered round the directors’ box to vent their fury.