Hibs boss Lee Johnson has praised his side for holding their nerve to see out a crucial 2-1 victory over St Mirren after admitting their “dominant” first-half performance “fizzled out” after the break.
Goals from on-loan duo Elie Youan and Will Fish gave the Hibees a deserved 2-0 lead at the interval before the Buddies threatened to claim a point in the closing stages after Alex Greive pulled one back.
Kevin Nisbet had also missed a glorious chance to add a third for the Easter Road outfit to add to the nerves, but Hibs held their own and kept the three points in Edinburgh as Stephen Robinson's men failed to find a second.
READ MORE: Hibs 2-1 St Mirren as Lee Johnson's men edge closer to Europe - 3 things we learned
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
“I thought we made hard work of it in the second half, we should have had more control than we did,” said Johnson. “We didn’t dominate the midfield at all and in the first half we were very dominant.
“A lot of the stuff we worked on through the week was executed to perfection (in the first half). I thought the ball speed and our passing and movement was good and we had good opportunities in the first half.
“In the second half, for whatever reason, we just fizzled out. Not enough were on their game but we continued to work hard.
“We shuffled the pack and changed the shape to cope with a St Mirren side who were throwing caution to the wind after the poor goal we conceded and in the end it was good to see it out. Even in injury time I think we managed it quite well.
“Overall it’s a great win for us, it’s an important win because of that fifth place but also we’re now chasing down everybody ahead of us.”
Hibs lost Jake Doyle-Hayes to a head knock in the first half and Johnson admitted the midfielder will need to be assessed.
“Hopefully he’s OK,” said the manager. “He had quite a nasty bump on the side of his head.
“I just hope it’s not concussion, firstly for him but also for us because he’s an important player. I thought he was outstanding until he went off.”
READ NEXT:
- Brian McDermott lands Hibs director of football role as Ben Kensell explains decision
- Hibs 'confident' over Elie Youan transfer with 'six-figure' option in St Gallen loan agreement
- Hibs 'set to rival' Aberdeen for Jay Idzes signing as Lee Johnson's men plan scouting mission
- Nohan Kenneh on Hibs future and 'massive' Ross County loan spell after extended run of games
