Zibi's Back

[Greenman]

Zibi has a rare turn as the hero




Hibernian 2 / Inverness CT 0
Natasha Woods at Easter Road



GOALKEEPERS are truly a breed apart – one moment hero, another the villain. “Zibi” Malkowski has experienced enough lows of late to appreciate the highs. Yesterday, at pivotal moments, the Pole produced some outstanding saves. The result was a second consecutive clean sheet, a victory for Hibernian, and a ringing endorsement from his manager.
“The goalkeeping position is like no other in the team. I have to heap praise on our goalkeeper because he made two crucial saves at crucial moments. I know he was facing criticism even before I arrived, but he has responded in the perfect manner for me as the manager,” said John Collins.

A week ago Malkowski had flapped at a cross which contributed to an equaliser for Kilmarnock. Collins had insisted that it was not a glaring mistake, but those who have watched Malkowski since his arrival at Easter Road 18 months ago could think of many other moments which would fall into that category.

Take last month’s league derby here, when his ridiculous dash from his line gifted Hearts a goal. It would have been interesting to hear his views about how his fortunes had improved, but Malkowski chose to keep his own counsel after yesterday’s match.

Mind you, so too did Mark Brown, the Inverness goalkeeper. He was red-carded with 10 minutes to go, having brought down Chris Killen to concede the penalty which the striker slotted home past substitute goalkeeper Michael Fraser to secure the win.

Charlie Christie, the Inverness manager, revealed Brown had told him that any contact with the Hibs player had been minimal and that Killen had been losing his footing anyway. But Christie was not peddling a hard luck case. He knew his team had had enough chances to extend their unbeaten run beyond eight games.

Instead, against a Hibs side which had initially looked leg weary after mid-week CIS Cup exploits against Hearts, the visitors found a goalkeeper in inspired mood. Brown, their own stopper, also had to be impressive early on thanks to the rampaging thrusts of Steven Whittaker.

Twice in the opening 10 minutes the Hibernian right-back forced Brown into action, first with a shot from distance and then with a cross-come-shot which threatened more danger. Not that it was all Hibs.

Barry Wilson had already signalled his intent with one early shot, although the Inverness midfielder failed to apply enough power to unsettle Malkowski. Striker Craig Dargo did his own bit of unsettling with a rather too physical follow-up on the Hibs goalkeeper which earned him a yellow card.

Hibernian’s game plan was unsettled when Merouane Zemmama picked up an injury which saw him replaced just after the 20-minute mark, but while Collins may have been frustrated at the loss of such an influential attacker, he could only have been impressed with the consistent threat posed by his right-back.

Whittaker seemed determined to maintain centre stage and midway through the half, he drifted off the right flank to dribble the ball across the penalty box. Only John Rankin, with a last-ditch block, denied Whittaker the sort of solo goal which would have illuminated Easter Road in the gathering gloom.

The chances were beginning to accumulate for Hibs as the half moved towards its conclusion; Brown in the Inverness goal producing an excellent save low to his right-hand side when Michael Stewart’s deflected shot had looked like it might just spin beyond his reach.

Yet it was the visitors who came closest to breaking the deadlock, right at the end of the half, when a swift break saw Russell Duncan pick out Dargo and the striker, perhaps at the limit of his reach, stretched to volley goalwards. Malkowski reacted instinctively palming the ball away and then followed up with a goal-line block as Graham Bayne tried to bury the rebound.

It was this double-save which prompted a chorus of approval from the home fans, and the big Pole reacted by pumping his fist in the direction of those behind him in the Famous Five Stand.

Malkowski was called on again soon after the re-start, but Roy McBain would have been infuriated not to make the goalkeeper work harder thanks to a shot lacking any real menace.

It was a moment which was still indicative of the flow of the game, for Inverness were pressing forward with more purpose, and as the hour mark approached they went close a second time when Bayne stabbed a flick-on from Grant Munro towards goal from six yards out, only to see Rob Jones in the way to make a goal-line clearance.

Collins’ reaction to the growing pressure was a crowd-pleasing one, for Guillaume Beuzelin came off the bench in place of Kevin Thomson, who was struggling with a virus and is now a doubt for this week’s Scotland “B” game in Dublin.

On 64 minutes, Inverness finally buckled, although it took a confident finish from Steven Fletcher to break the deadlock. Scott Brown lifted the ball in from the right, and full-back David Murphy nodded it down in Fletcher’s direction for him to drill a rising shot beyond the Inverness goalkeeper.

Scott Brown’s influence was growing by the minute; a fact summed up with 20 minutes to go, when a neat piece of trickery, allied to a lung-bursting dash, saw him create an opening for himself which ended with his ferocious shot cannoning off a defender and on to the crossbar.

The belief that Hibs needed a second goal to secure the points was reinforced when Gary McSwegan’s first contribution having come off the Inverness bench was to thunder in an angled volley which Malkowski beat away at his near post.

At that point you sensed it was his and Hibernian’s day. And when Brown felled Killen, you knew that it was.

[Dr Shrink]

I give in.

I was at a different game.


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