Hibs harry Brewers and quickfire double sets them on way to victory in Portugal
SCOTTISH PREM SIDE TOO STRONG FOR ALBION IN ALGARVE HEAT BUT AHADME, GILLIGAN SCORE
PRE-SEASON friendlies, as we know, are rarely an accurate guide to how any team might perform when it comes to the real thing.
And Burton Albion’s 4-2 defeat to Scottish Premiership side Hibernian in Portugal yesterday was the earliest of the early among those pre-season games.
They are more about fitness than anything else and there had to be a certain caution, too, about going at full pelt in the heat of an Algarve summer.
Nevertheless, supporters who saw the game – and there was a smattering from Burton who made the trip out – may not have been much encouraged by the way Albion went about their work.
They set up in the
3-5-2 shape that was predominant for most of last season and, as with rather too much of that campaign, bypassed the midfield for the most part.
The game was again crying out for a midfield controller and neither Terry Taylor, who did show some nice early touches in the first half, nor Charlie Lakin, the only man to play all 90 minutes, were able to impose themselves to any great extent.
The Brewers were better in the first half but in danger of being overrun early in the second half, when Hibs scored twice and looked like scoring each time they came forward.
Both clubs played largely separate sides for each half, with Burton including an unnamed trialist in midfield, who played 67 minutes.
Conor Shaughnessy, Jonny Smith, Joe Powell – whose contract has now expired – and new signing Davis Keillor-dunn were not involved in the game.
It started promisingly for the Brewers, pressing hard as they do at their best, and the trialist, dribbling forward in the inside left channel, won a free kick from which they took a sixth-minute lead.
Louis Moult’s free kick from 22 yards hit the Hibs wall, then the post, and Gassan Ahadme was first to the rebound to tuck the ball in – another of those promising signs from the young striker.
Hibs, though, are also a pressing side – apparently a new development under former Sunderland manager Lee Johnson – and they were soon doing that rather better than Burton.
They either stole the ball in midfield or harried Burton into playing a long ball when, perhaps, they would have prepared to work it forwards.
The Scottish side scored a classy 11th-minute equaliser when Joe Newell drove forward down the middle and fed French striker Elie Youan, who spun to hit an accurate low, angled shot to Ben Garratt’s right from the edge of the box.
When the trialist was again fouled, in the same position, a couple of minutes later, Moult this time lifted the free kick comfortably over the bar.
The lively Youan shot into the sidenetting after escaping down the right and former Sunderland winger Aiden Mcgeady shot over from 25 yards after picking up a short free kick.
The first injury concern of the season came after half an hour when Cameron Borthwick-jackson first
The Brewers bypassed midfield for the most part and the game was again crying out for a midfield controller
needed treatment for what appeared to be a strain to his left leg, carried on but came off five minutes later, to be replaced by Ryan Leak.
Taylor sent a speculative volley over from 25-yards with the last action of the first half.
The second half team included
Callum Hawkins in goal and young pros Ben Radcliffe and Tom Hewlett, while Hibs had former Derby County man David Marshall in goal.
Marshall was instantly in action, saving as both Hewlett and Ciaran Gilligan got in efforts in a goalmouth scramble but the action was very soon at the other end.
Elias Melkersen turned the ball in at the near post to put Hibs ahead after 47 minutes and raced on to a pass from Norwegian countryman Runar Hauge six minutes later, beating the exposed Hawkins to make it 3-1.
The Brewers looked thoroughly disjointed at this stage, perhaps understandably in the circumstances, but there was mercifully little goalmouth action after that.
It was the 78th minute before Burton strung some passes together to form a proper attack and, once they did, they scored.
William Kokolo was sent away down the left by Lakin and his inviting low cross was banged in at the far post by Ciaran Gilligan.
Three minutes later, Hibs made it 4-2 when Nohan Kenneh, on for a second appearance of the game, battled to keep the ball on the left in the box and forced a shot past Hawkins.
The Brewers keeper kept the final score down with two really good reaction saves from Chris Cadden, who hit shots from the right, as the clock ticked down.
Once again, it is worth reiterating, these are the earliest of times – and Hibs are a decent, well-drilled and hardworking side.
But Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will have been hoping for better than this from his team.
BURTON ALBION first half: Garratt, Oshilaja, Hughes, Blake-tracey, Hamer, Lakin, Borthwick-jackson (Leak, 35), Trialist, Taylor, Moult, Ahadme.
Second half: Hawkins, Brayford, Radcliffe, Mancienne, Kokolo, Morris, Trialist (Ahadme, 67), Gilligan Leak, Lakin, Hewlett. HIBERNIAN first half: Dabrowski, Miller, Porteous, Mclelland, Stevenson, Kenneh, Newell, Jai, Mcgeady, Youan, Doidge. Second half: Marshall, Cadden, Bushiri, Brydon, Doig, Doyle-hayes, Campbell, Delferriere, Hauge (Kenneh, 77), Henderson, Melkersen.