Match Review: Hibernians FC vs Aioli Monkeys FC

• -- Heljar Havnes
• -- Niko Rieder
• -- Clement Chamette
• -- Jerome Delcasso
• -- Ulpiano Flores
• -- Joe Dutoit
• -- Farhan Mahmood
• -- Paul Gill
• -- Charlie Haddock
• -- Harry Stones
• -- Colin Gray

• MD Andrew Knott
• -- Joel Hambly
• -- Adam Parker
• -- Bertie Trower
• -- Mark O'Halloran

Stunned

Hibs somehow managed to throw this cup tie away in a 2 minute spell at the end of the game, but APM really should have been killed off by that point. Good job we love the Plate! A much-changed side started well and Charlie was linking things well as the focal point of the attack. Farhan, Clem and Joe had good openings but Hibs took the lead with a good move down the right and Farhan put in a perfect cross for Charlie to beautifully side volley in the corner. The lightning and heavy rain made things difficult for both teams and the game had to stop for a short while. Hibs should then have doubled the lead with Charlie one-on-one but he couldn't lift it over the keeper. Farhan broke the offside trap to also go clean through but the keeper saved very well. APM applied a bit of pressure in the second half but it was mainly catching practice for Col in goal as he mopped up the crosses and corners with the minimum of fuss. Debutant Joel had a great chance with the goal at his mercy and he chose not to trust his weaker foot and when he cut back the pressure told and he lifted over. Adam's pace caused the away defence some problems and Hibs were comfortable until the 2 minutes of sloppiness cost the game. A weak freekick from out wide was not dealt with at the near post and the APM forward couldn't believe his luck and finished nicely with 5 minutes left. Hibs then failed to deal with a midfield runner although it was an excellent pass to find him and that was 1-2. One from each side got sent off in the last minute for their own little spat which was completely out of context in a clean game. So many good things to take from this with the depth of the squad looking very good and some of the "regulars" will struggle to get their places back in two weeks time when we turn out for league action against The Vikings. MoM was the APM goal scorer who leveled things and ultimately changed the game. Good luck to them in their Cup run. Charlie gets our MoM for causing all sorts of problems up front and for his first goal for this Hibs team in his first start.

• Daniele Pacella GK
• Sebastien Grand DF
• Jeff Suzuki DF
• Charlie Moss DF
• Jamie Thuillier MD
• Harry Shaw MD
• Tudor Livadaru MD
• Leopoldo Garrido MD
• Peter Besselink ST
• Sergio Lopes ST
• Mark Addy ST

• Fraser Tyler GK
• Joel Terrades MD
• Attilio Ferrari MD
• Thomas Vacher MD

Late Drama

2 goals in the last 5 minutes kept our cup dreams alive in what was a largely frustrating afternoon down at PSA. We went 1-0 down early on when the Hibs striker connected well with a volley from the penalty spot and it was always going to be difficult after that. The heavy rain and long grass meant we struggled to move the ball quickly and for all our possession, we created very little in the way of chances in the first half. We introduced Joel at half time who gave us a bit more urgency and drive going forward but our frustrations continued. Our final ball wasn’t good enough and even when we did get near the goal, the excellent Hibs’ keeper dealt with it comfortably. Hibs could have finished us off on the break but the striker took too much time with the goal at his mercy. Just after that lucky escape, several real life monkeys arrived pitch side (it must’ve been a sign) and our fortunes changed. Joel fired in the equaliser with 5 minutes left and then 2 minutes later Harry bagged the winner, latching on to a Tudor through ball and finishing like the centre forward he wishes he was. Hibs will consider themselves unlucky given the late goals but we felt we deserved the win on balance of play, despite a lot of sloppiness in the final third. MOM for Hibs was a close call - the big striker was a real handful and won every header but it goes to the keeper, who looked impenetrable for most of the game. MOM for us - Joel, for a great second half performance. Couple of silly red cards at the end which has ruined both teams’ exemplary disciplinary records. That aside, it was a game played in good spirits. Thanks to the ref team and Hibs. We look forward to our next visit to PSA, when hopefully the groundsman will have replaced his leaf blower with a lawn mower!