Source: Team_Talk
Hibs breeze past Brechin with ease
Riordan, who scored a brace in Saturday's SPL win at Falkirk, opened the scoring against Brechin with an exquisite chip 10 minutes in.[LNB]His cross was then deflected into the net off Ian Nimmo before Hanlon struck from 25 yards shortly after half-time.[LNB]Neil Janczyk missed Brechin's best opportunity as former Easter Road boss Jim Duffy endured an unhappy return to his old club.[LNB]It was also a bad night for new Hibs striker Anthony Stokes, who wasted a host of chances to open his account.[LNB]Manager John Hughes had vowed to field a strong line-up in a bid to aoid the sort of upset predecessor Mixu Paatelainen suffered against Morton a year ago.[LNB]But he still made four changes, including handing goalkeeper Graham Stack his debut.[LNB]Irn-Bru Second Division Brechin drafted in Nimmo and also recalled the fit-again Janczyk.[LNB]Hibs fielded a three-pronged attack, with Riordan and the recalled Abdessalam Benjelloun flanking Stokes.[LNB]Stokes and Riordan combined inside five minutes, the latter making space in the box before chipping left-footed over the bar.[LNB]Riordan then dragged wide from 20 yards from a stray Brechin pass before opening the scoring superbly in the 10th minute.[LNB]Stokes fed the forward from the left flank and this time Riordan made no mistake with the chip, his right-foot effort sailing over a stranded Craig Nelson.[LNB]Gary Fusco gave Hibs a scare when he almost bundled his way through but it was soon 2-0.[LNB]Nelson turned Stokes' low near-post drive behind, Riordan played a short corner and his cross took a deflection off Nimmo which left the goalkeeper helpless.[LNB]Janczyk could have pulled one back after ticking his way into the area but he lifted his finish over Stack and just past the post.[LNB]Stokes then wasted two great chances, shooting narrowly wide after being put clean through before slicing horribly on the rebound after John Rankin's 20-yard curler had hit the upright.[LNB]Riordan lashed an angled volley over the bar as he sought a first-half hat-trick.[LNB]Moments before the interval, Benjelloun cut inside and drilled just wide left-footed, while Rankin failed to find the target from 10 yards.[LNB]Riordan smashed a left-foot volley from Rankin's corner over the bar shortly after the restart.[LNB]The striker would have been proud to score Hibs' third goal, which arrived in the unlikely shape of Hanlon 10 minutes into the half.[LNB]The left-back cut inside 25 yards out before arrowing a right-foot shot across Nelson and into the corner of the net.[LNB]Stokes missed his latest chance from a Riordan corner, but the duo were combining well, the latter's cross almost finding his team-mate six yards out.[LNB]With the game up, Brechin brought on Chris McGroarty for Nimmo, while Hibs handed a debut to highly-rated striker Kurtis Byrne, who replaced Benjelloun.[LNB]There was more woe for Stokes when he poked the ball too close to Nelson, shortly after Brechin had replaced Charlie King with Ian Harty.[LNB]Hibs then withdrew Rankin for Lewis Stevenson before the luckless Stokes finally appeared to find the target with a vicious volley, only to see it blocked.[LNB]Hughes threw on a fourth striker in Colin Nish only to see Stokes, Byrne and the substitute all miss chances to score a fourth goal.[LNB][LNB]
