:00:38. > :00:43.Good evening. As the latter months of the Premiership season passed,
:00:44. > :00:46.Hibs' dismal form saw them plummet down the table as they finished
:00:47. > :00:49.second bottom in the play-off place. Tonight, the first half of their
:00:50. > :00:53.battle for Premiership survival took place at New Douglas Park against
:00:54. > :00:55.Hamilton Acadmical. With me to review the first leg of this
:00:56. > :01:00.Premiership play-off this evening, Michael Stewart. Let's get straight
:01:01. > :01:04.to the action. Unlike Hibs, Accies went into this match with their
:01:05. > :01:05.tails up having seen off Falkirk in the play-off semi-final. Commentary
:01:06. > :01:19.comes from Liam MacLeod. Alex Neil has resisted the urge to
:01:20. > :01:31.pick himself, but he brings back Antoine-Curier. He was a subat -- he
:01:32. > :01:42.was a sub at the weekend. The onus on Paul Heffernan for Hibs, can
:01:43. > :01:46.Cummings up front with him. Neither wanted to be playing tonight. Hibs
:01:47. > :01:51.certainly didn't. Accies would have rather won the title. It is a very
:01:52. > :01:56.different kind of second chance for these two clubs. They played their
:01:57. > :02:01.respective seasons at different levels, but Accies have scored twice
:02:02. > :02:11.as many as Hibs this season, including the 10 they banged in
:02:12. > :02:16.against Morton. It is 180 minutes to decide which team will be team 12 in
:02:17. > :02:21.next season's Premiership. It must have been a long ten days day for
:02:22. > :02:32.Terry Butcher and everyone associated with Hibs, since that
:02:33. > :02:47.defeat to Kilmarnock. Cummings has drawn the free kick.
:02:48. > :02:54.Alan Maybury, 35 years of age. I bet he didn't think he would be seeing
:02:55. > :03:06.this kind of pressure at this stage of his career.
:03:07. > :03:17.Robertson! He is very unlucky. Both he and his boss with their head in
:03:18. > :03:27.their hands here. Hamilton uneasy in defence. Wonderful play by Stanton.
:03:28. > :03:28.It broke back to Robertson. The woodwork prevents Hibs going in
:03:29. > :04:32.front here. Antoine-Curier is waiting in the
:04:33. > :04:41.middle. A very tight angle there though. A difficult take and an
:04:42. > :04:48.excellent move between Andreu and Keatings. Eventually Antoine-Curier
:04:49. > :05:01.doing well to do anything better than that.
:05:02. > :05:07.Harries has won -- Harris has won the corner. Liam Craig over this
:05:08. > :05:24.one. In it comes towards Robertson.
:05:25. > :05:30.Surely it will be tucked in. But it wouldn't have counted, Bobby
:05:31. > :05:36.Madden's whistle blows and Robertson is left frustrated again. It was
:05:37. > :05:44.blocked by his own man Heffernan. It came off his hand as it was bulleted
:05:45. > :05:53.down wards. Antoine-Curier was on the line too. Barry Ferguson, the
:05:54. > :06:03.former Scotland and Rangers captain watching on, his home town team.
:06:04. > :06:11.Hibs are without a win in so long, since they beat Ross County if
:06:12. > :06:20.February. Hamilton have only lost one of their last 15 games. Cummings
:06:21. > :06:30.goes for goal and that is a stunning start for Hibs! They will feel a
:06:31. > :06:36.heck of a lot better now. A massive moment in this play-off final
:06:37. > :06:45.provided by Jason Cummings, with his first for the club and what a time
:06:46. > :06:52.to get it. Well, he has just lashed this past Cuthbert, who didn't have
:06:53. > :06:57.a hope really. Sized it up and thundered it beyond the Accies
:06:58. > :07:04.keeper. The first goal could well be crucial in this tie and it has come
:07:05. > :07:12.for Hibernian and by the left boot of Jason Cummings. Delight for
:07:13. > :07:18.Butcher and no wonder - the pressure is huge. Accies have not found
:07:19. > :07:22.goal-scoring this season. No one has scored more than them in the
:07:23. > :07:41.Championship last season, including Dundee, who went up as champions.
:07:42. > :07:49.For weeks things have not been falling for Hibernian and suddenly
:07:50. > :07:53.Williams makes the save. Excellent goalkeeping from the Hibs No 1
:07:54. > :08:12.there. A crucial intervention. Accies cannot afford to concede
:08:13. > :08:18.again before the break. Mackinnon is not going to get a chance to bear
:08:19. > :08:28.down on the Hibs defence. Cummings has given Hibs a priceless 1-0 lead
:08:29. > :08:32.in this play-off final first leg. Cuthbert couldn't get anywhere near
:08:33. > :08:39.it. It was all about the pace and power from Jason Cummings. At half
:08:40. > :08:49.time it is Hamilton 0, Hibernian 1. We are about to find out what Accies
:08:50. > :09:01.are made of the last time they failed to score was when they lost
:09:02. > :09:07.in February. Hibs last away victory was Boxing Day at Ross County.
:09:08. > :09:13.Remember, without a win in their last 13. He would have been much
:09:14. > :09:18.happier in the dressing room at half time on this occasion, Terry
:09:19. > :09:30.Butcher. That hasn't been the case a lot recently.
:09:31. > :09:41.It comes to Cummings! Was it over the line? Was it over the line? Yes,
:09:42. > :09:47.it was, says the referee, who consults with his assistance and
:09:48. > :09:55.Cummings doubles up for Hibs! That will go a long, long way to
:09:56. > :10:05.Premiership survival. A dream evening in Lanarkshire for young
:10:06. > :10:11.Jason Cummings. Great play from Hibs. Missed by Robertson it. Came
:10:12. > :10:15.kindly to Cummings. That a definite goal. Despite the best efforts of
:10:16. > :10:25.Ziggy Gordon on the line, he couldn't prevent it from crossing.
:10:26. > :10:31.Hibs are two to the good. The assistant referee on the near side
:10:32. > :10:43.saw it perfectly. It is well over. It is Accies nil, Hibs two.
:10:44. > :10:51.This is from Routledge. It took a touch on its way through. Accies
:10:52. > :10:55.corner. Happy days, for Terry Butcher. He knows, the Hibs fans
:10:56. > :10:59.know, relegation just isn't an option.
:11:00. > :11:10.Another deep corner kick. It's won. It's headed just past.
:11:11. > :11:31.Canning won the initial header. Just knocked past the post.
:11:32. > :11:42.Another good challenge from Stevenson that time for Hibs.
:11:43. > :11:52.Stanton, grains his chances. Such a long season for both these teams.
:11:53. > :12:04.Hibernian started in the Europa league qualifying away back in the
:12:05. > :12:10.middle of f July last year. Looking for space to shoot. Good ball
:12:11. > :12:20.through for Ryan. Good save, Ben Williams. Great goal keeping. --
:12:21. > :12:30.goalkeeping. Slammed the door on the face of Ryan. Well onside. Paul
:12:31. > :12:41.Cairney prepares to come on for Hibs. He has single-handedly edged
:12:42. > :12:49.them so close to safety now. A goal in either half. They are singing his
:12:50. > :12:51.name, and little wonder. A pat on the back from Paul Cairney. He
:12:52. > :13:09.hasn't played much recently. This is Scotland, outmuscling
:13:10. > :13:14.Cairney. He wants in the middle. Just outside the penalty area. A
:13:15. > :13:23.spill from Williams. Crawford shot causing the hub Hibernian number one
:13:24. > :13:27.problems here. Williams gets away with the spill. 90 minutes have been
:13:28. > :13:31.played. Four being added on at the end in stoppage-time, only for
:13:32. > :13:34.Hamilton to try and get something back from this game. Otherwise they
:13:35. > :13:42.are heading through to the capital with a task almost as tall as
:13:43. > :13:47.(inaudible) out for the goal kick. Looked for a split second as though
:13:48. > :13:56.it was going to break to him. Lovely reverse pass from . -- Andreu. It
:13:57. > :14:06.was Scotland going on to it. It was his final touch.
:14:07. > :14:18.Canning, back to his keeper. Cuthbert. Seconds remaining. Of this
:14:19. > :14:33.play-off final, first-leg. The referee has checked his watch.
:14:34. > :14:41.It's not quite job done, but they are almost there are Terry Butcher's
:14:42. > :14:46.Hibernian. A goal either side of half-time, from 18-year-old Jason
:14:47. > :14:50.Cummings. His first two goals for the club, they are priceless goals
:14:51. > :14:55.for the club. Hibernian are on the brink of Premiership safety. They
:14:56. > :14:59.will now head into Sunday's second-leg at Easter Road with a
:15:00. > :15:04.two-goal cushion, thanks to that man. It finished here at New Douglas
:15:05. > :15:10.Park, Hamilton Academical 0-Hibernian 2. 2-0 to Hibernian. We
:15:11. > :15:15.asked Terry Butcher how much he enjoyed tonight's match. It's
:15:16. > :15:27.horrible on the sidelines watching it. So much is at stake. We are not
:15:28. > :15:32.doing this and that. Odd -- all of a sudden Jason scores. Not used to
:15:33. > :15:35.scoring two goals and keeping a clean sheet. The boys in the
:15:36. > :15:40.dressing room don't know what to do. It's a lovely feeling. Not being
:15:41. > :15:45.blaza about it. It's a situation we love being in. The players came back
:15:46. > :15:49.after the Kilmarnock game. Their attitude has been spot on. I said
:15:50. > :15:53.before the game they have done remarkably well in terms of how they
:15:54. > :15:57.bounced back. It's testament to them, because they did that, it
:15:58. > :16:04.showed tonight. It wasn't to be on the night. We are disappointed. We
:16:05. > :16:08.felt particularly in the first half we played really well. The better
:16:09. > :16:14.team and created opportunities. Then on the counter tack you get in
:16:15. > :16:21.trailing. I can't fault the players. They worked their socks off. For
:16:22. > :16:24.large parts of the game we controlled the ball. I thought the
:16:25. > :16:28.decision-making could have been better. The first goal and the
:16:29. > :16:33.second goal, I thought I took them well myself. The players help me and
:16:34. > :16:38.the gaffer, they believed in me and the fans believed in me. I knew it
:16:39. > :16:42.was coming. Now the first goals have come in, I hope they will flood in
:16:43. > :16:48.for me, hopefully, fingers crossed. Job done? They are a good side. We
:16:49. > :16:52.have to be professional treat it as 0-0 and get on with it. We are
:16:53. > :16:55.playing at Easter Road. It will be a bumper crowd. The fans will be
:16:56. > :16:59.cheering us on. Lovely surface much we want to make the most of it and
:17:00. > :17:05.enjoy the occasion. Make sure that we play well and finish the job off.
:17:06. > :17:08.Hibs taking a massive stride towards Premiership safety with that result
:17:09. > :17:12.this evening. Michael, they deserved it, you have to say that? Yeah. I
:17:13. > :17:19.think over the piece that you wouldn't argue with the fact that
:17:20. > :17:23.Hibs were worthy winners. You heard Neil Feltham I will tonne controlled
:17:24. > :17:30.the ball for large swathes of the game. They maybe did. In the fine
:17:31. > :17:34.third they lacked a cutting-edge. They didn't put Hibs under pressure.
:17:35. > :17:38.Hibs have tethered towards second bottom place in the Premiership.
:17:39. > :17:44.There was a difference about them tonight, wasn't there? A bit more
:17:45. > :17:49.character. Robertson, early on, symbolised that shift, would you
:17:50. > :17:56.say? Robertson is a massive player for Hibs. They missed him with being
:17:57. > :18:00.out for a huge period of time. Good quality. Passing into the top
:18:01. > :18:05.corner. Unfortunate. You see that with his instep. Unfortunate it
:18:06. > :18:08.didn't Nestle in the top corner. Right through the game you said he
:18:09. > :18:18.had an influence and impack on the game. He gets a booking. Box to box,
:18:19. > :18:22.he is a box to box midfielder. Put tackles in. Wanting to help the team
:18:23. > :18:30.out and have an impact on the game. He gets flagged for a free-kick.
:18:31. > :18:35.Paul Heffernan did his best to miss that opportunity when she a good
:18:36. > :18:39.finisher. Trying too hard at times? There was an impact in the game
:18:40. > :18:44.there. They wanted to do well. That has been missing in recent weeks for
:18:45. > :18:48.Hibs. No doubt about who was the star tonight, Jason Cummings grew up
:18:49. > :18:53.a Hearts fan. It didn't work out for him in football. He game a gardener.
:18:54. > :19:00.Tonight he sows the seeds for Hibs staying in the Premiership next
:19:01. > :19:04.season? This is a fantastic strike. I know people will question, you
:19:05. > :19:08.know, whether the goalkeeper should have saved that or not. I think it's
:19:09. > :19:12.just that it is such a good strike. When you look at this, it dip as
:19:13. > :19:17.little bit. Look how quickly that comes off his boot? In the back of
:19:18. > :19:21.the net before you know. It you get a good picture here. The keeper, the
:19:22. > :19:25.ball is almost past him before he gets a chance to react. It was so
:19:26. > :19:32.quick. Butcher was loving it. Of course he was. Not often you see
:19:33. > :19:36.that recently. . No. Jason Cummings coming to the forefor Hibernian.
:19:37. > :19:40.They needed a goalscorer. You were impressed with the second goal? It
:19:41. > :19:43.was fantastic. Heffernan gets into the corner. He fires the ball
:19:44. > :19:48.across. It takes a deflection off the defender. Robertson making an
:19:49. > :19:53.effort to get in the box. Look at that. Fantastic compose sure. Not a
:19:54. > :19:56.great angle. Pushed out wide. A question mark here with Heffernan
:19:57. > :20:01.whether he is offside. He doesn't let it affect him. He gets on with
:20:02. > :20:05.the game. When he gets to the corner here, fires in at the box. Robertson
:20:06. > :20:09.comes in at the top of the picture. Determination to get on it again.
:20:10. > :20:14.Look at Cummings? That is a tight angle. Three defenders and the
:20:15. > :20:18.goalkeeper between him and the goal. Dinks it over the goalkeeper. A
:20:19. > :20:23.height and angle where none of the defenders could get to. Clearly over
:20:24. > :20:27.the line. Real compose sure. With someone so young and having scored
:20:28. > :20:33.one goal early in the game, great to see that from a youngster. He grew
:20:34. > :20:42.up a Hearts fan be could be the saviour for Hibs tonight -- but he
:20:43. > :20:47.could be the saviour for Hibs tonight? There has been a shaft of
:20:48. > :20:51.light from a number of the youngsters. Stanton, they are
:20:52. > :20:55.putting in performances, sometimes they have no fear. Cummings showed
:20:56. > :21:01.it tonight. He was on top form. Two fantastic goals. It was strange
:21:02. > :21:04.tonight. A lot of people had Hamilton as favourites. They were
:21:05. > :21:09.coming off a good run of form. Hibs had been absolutely dismal of late.
:21:10. > :21:16.What did you make of Hamilton's overall performance? As I said
:21:17. > :21:21.earlier, you heard Alec Neil saying it, they kept possession of the
:21:22. > :21:25.ball. They huffed and puffed a little bit. This was their best
:21:26. > :21:28.opportunity. It never looked like they were under control or Longridge
:21:29. > :21:31.could get the strike in. You question whether it was the pitch.
:21:32. > :21:37.Sometimes the ball slides away. It never looked like it was in his
:21:38. > :21:46.grasp to get that. Another example of horrendous defending from Hibs
:21:47. > :21:49.that dogged them. Antoine-Curier couldn't convert on it. They knocked
:21:50. > :21:55.it around nicely. That killer touch was lacking for them tonight.
:21:56. > :21:59.Lacked, as you say a killer touch in the final third. Unable to crack a
:22:00. > :22:04.Premiership side? This is good football here. To be honest, we will
:22:05. > :22:10.get a better angle on this one. It shows horrendous defending. Look at
:22:11. > :22:14.McGivern. Right in front of the two centre halfs. Couldn't get it back
:22:15. > :22:17.in the net. Good play from Hamilton, they lacked the killer touch in the
:22:18. > :22:25.final third. If you want to get promoted to the Premiership that is
:22:26. > :22:33.vital. What does it mean for Terry Butcher, it has been an awful 2014,
:22:34. > :22:38.since he came into Hibs. He didn't smile much, but it would have meant
:22:39. > :22:43.so much to him? He was light hearted after the game. A horrendous 2014.
:22:44. > :22:47.For him, he has been desperate to get to the end of the season and get
:22:48. > :22:51.changes into the team so it is the team he really wants. His team. That
:22:52. > :22:55.is something that is reminiscent at his time at Inverness. You haven't
:22:56. > :23:02.seen much of that recently? You haven't. That typifies how much of a
:23:03. > :23:08.tough time it has been for Terry Butcher at Hibs. Thoughts now to the
:23:09. > :23:11.game at Easter Road. A lot of people will say the tie is virtually over
:23:12. > :23:15.because obviously Hamilton had their advantage at home. That is now gone.
:23:16. > :23:19.Hibs have a 2-0 advantage they will be expected to see this home and
:23:20. > :23:23.dry. Do you see it being pretty much plain sailing? It will not be plain
:23:24. > :23:27.sailing. The next goal will be massive. Hibs have not had a good
:23:28. > :23:30.record at home for a number of seasons. There is that expectation.
:23:31. > :23:35.There is pressure now everybody is talking about that, the game is over
:23:36. > :23:40.already. The next goal is vital. If Hamilton got the first goal of the
:23:41. > :23:44.game at Easter Road, there would be pressure put on Hibs. The supporters
:23:45. > :23:48.would get nervous that will ill filtrate through to the players. On
:23:49. > :23:53.tonight's showing they have to perform better. As I said before, in
:23:54. > :23:58.that final third they have to find a kill touch in that final ball or the
:23:59. > :24:02.strike on goal or Hibs will be comfortable. Are Hibs staying up? I
:24:03. > :24:08.think Ithink so. . There is plenty of football still to come on the BBC
:24:09. > :24:10.pre-World Cup this season. The second-leg of the Premiership
:24:11. > :24:16.play-off, as we have been talking about, is on Sunday at Easter Road.
:24:17. > :24:21.Join us for highlights of that, 10.00pm on BBC Two. Then a week
:24:22. > :24:28.tonight, we have live football for you on Sportscene. Nigeria verses
:24:29. > :24:34.Scotland from 8.00pm, life live from Craven Cottage. That is it for
:24:35. > :24:39.tonight. A case of the second Cummings. Jason the saviour tonight.
:24:40. > :24:44.Terry Butcher's side half way to Premiership survival. From Michael
:24:45. > :24:51.and from me, until next time, good night.
:24:52. > :25:02.# I'll never let you down # I'll be what you're dreaming of
:25:03. > :25:04.# I will never let you down... #