Hibs Maintain Slim Lead Over Thistle in Cup Tie
Hibernian hold a slender 1-0 lead over Partick Thistle at Easter Road, but the scoreline barely tells the story of a first half that swung from control to carelessness.
Owen Elding’s strike is the difference at the break, a composed finish that capped an enterprising opening spell from the hosts. For a while, Hibs looked sharp, aggressive, and fully in charge of the tie.
Then they eased off. And Thistle almost crept back in.
Elding remained at the heart of the action. A lovely spin and slide-rule pass from Kanayo Megwa inside the box carved out another clear sight of goal for the forward, only for his effort to be smothered by a desperate block. Later, he went even closer, crashing a powerful effort off the crossbar as Easter Road gasped in unison.
Adam Mayor also went for the spectacular, drilling into the side-netting from a tight angle while Nathan Lowe screamed for a simple square ball across the six-yard box. It summed Hibs up: bright in flashes, but wasteful when it mattered.
Thistle, who had been second best early on, grew into the game as Hibs’ standards dipped. The visitors will feel they should have punished that slackness, especially with the home side failing to seriously test Liam McFarlane beyond Elding’s goal and that rattled bar.
There was a sobering moment off the pitch, too. A supporter in distress received lengthy treatment from paramedics and Hibs medical staff before being taken from the stand, with fellow fans urged not to gather in the area during the interval. The only message from the stadium: best wishes.
All of that leaves the tie finely balanced. Hibs have the lead. Thistle have the sense there’s something here for them if they’re ruthless enough.
Hearts in front, but Inverness live dangerously
Across the capital, Hearts also hold a 1-0 advantage over Inverness CT, and they’ve had to work for it.
Steven Naismith’s side controlled long spells of the first half, yet the visitors almost stunned Tynecastle early on. Alfie Bavidge volleyed in from an Alfie Stewart cross, only for the flag to go up and cut short the celebrations. A warning, and a sharp one.
Hearts thought they had the perfect response when Amadou Ba-Sy was fouled in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. VAR stepped in, moved the contact outside the area, and the penalty vanished. The frustration lasted seconds.
From the resulting free-kick, the ball cannoned off the wall and Christian Borchgrevink reacted quickest, nodding in the rebound to give the hosts a deserved lead.
Hearts could have killed the contest before the whistle. A clever corner routine found Calvin Miller free on the penalty spot with time to pick his spot, but he completely miscued his finish. Then came the moment that had the home crowd groaning: Ba-Sy’s clever run and strength in the box opened the door for Sabah Kerjota, who clipped the crossbar from six yards when it looked easier to score.
Inverness reminded everyone they were still in it when Adam MacKinnon collected a loose ball on the edge of the box after a corner and fired just over, having had to pause as referee Calum Scott moved out of his path.
Hearts lead, and on the balance of play they should. But with those missed chances, the margin feels thinner than it should be.
Stenhousemuir unsettle scrappy Motherwell
At Ochilview, the story is very different: Stenhousemuir 0-0 Motherwell at half-time, and it’s the Championship side who have imposed themselves.
Stenny started on the front foot, snapping into challenges and forcing Motherwell back. Matty Connelly in the away goal has been the busier of the two keepers, while Darrien Jamieson has enjoyed a largely quiet afternoon so far.
Motherwell’s fringe players, handed a chance to impress, have struggled badly. Possession has been scrappy, the tempo flat. When they did finally build some pressure, three successive corners came to nothing, despite Jamieson flapping at the first delivery. Each routine – short, low, or drilled – fizzled out without a telling touch.
At the other end, Stenhousemuir almost cashed in on Motherwell’s hesitancy at the back. The visitors dithered in their own box, Andrew Shinnie pounced with a cut-back, and Lewis Hodgkiss ghosted in, only to be denied by a foul in the build-up as the referee’s whistle cut through the tension.
Only one side has truly looked like scoring. It isn’t Motherwell.
With Alfred Johansson already turning to Alex Lowry and Emanuel Longelo at the break, the message is clear: standards must rise, and fast, or this cup tie could tilt away from the Premiership side in a hurry.
McInnes under the microscope at Ibrox
Later, the attention will swing to Ibrox, where Derek McInnes and Rangers face a pivotal afternoon against League Cup holders St Mirren.
“We could just do with winning a game,” McInnes said this week. The numbers behind that line are stark. Four games without a victory, the worst start made by any permanent Rangers manager at Ibrox.
Europa League elimination in midweek brought loud boos in Govan and turned up the heat on a manager still trying to convince the support he can deliver silverware on a regular basis. The League Cup remains the only major trophy on his CV, lifted with Aberdeen more than a decade ago.
Today, he can’t afford another slip. St Mirren arrive as defending champions, confident and organised. For McInnes, a home win would not just keep Rangers alive in the competition. It would buy him time, and perhaps shift the mood inside a stadium that has run out of patience before.
The margins in these ties are thin. The consequences, for some, are anything but.
