Punchless Hibs fail to end 'Well

Hibernian 0 - 2 Motherwell
ONLY a few short weeks ago Hibs had been hoping to end their season with a bang, instead Mixu Paatelainen's stars went out with hardly a whimper.

What was then being billed as a possible "winner-takes-all" showdown with Euro rivals Motherwell was reduced to no more than a routine end-of-season affair which allowed the Fir Park outfit to demonstrate why they and not Hibs will be playing in next season's UEFA Cup.

The Easter Road outfit will, of course, be participating on the European stage themselves, having had the foresight to put their name forward for the InterToto Cup. While other nations have no hesitation in taking part in it, the InterToto is still seen very much as a "Cinderella" competition in this country although it does provide a potential route into the UEFA Cup itself as many major clubs throughout Europe have proved over the years.

As such, Paatelainen's players will have barely a month before they return to prepare to face either HB Torshavn of the Faroe Islands or, much more likely, Swedish side Elfsborgs.

Officials of the Scandinavian club were at Easter Road on a recce mission last night in what was perhaps a demonstration of their confidence of returning to Edinburgh on the first weekend in July.

Paatelainen can only hope they returned home today with a totally false impression of his side's capabilities. The final game of the season had been rendered meaningless in terms of the European prize it carried a couple of weeks ago and that showed, with Hibs clear second best to a side which has taken Scottish football by surprise this season.

Indeed, Motherwell produced 90 minutes of verve and panache which had many comparing them to that swashbuckling Hibs side which similarly took the SPL by storm a few seasons ago, their pace, movement and interchanging leaving Paatelainen's players in their wake for long spells.

Signs that it was going to be a long night for the home fans were flashing as Simon Lappin, with a stunning free-kick, fired Motherwell ahead after only three minutes. However, once again, it was an unforced error which proved to be Hibs' undoing, Thierry Gathuessi seeking Ross Chisholm with a dangerous ball into midfield which was intercepted by Steven Hughes who then found his run forward impeded by Guillaume Beuzelin.

Making the wrong decisions in the wrong areas has cost Hibs on many occasions this season, a trait Paatelainen will be keen to eradicate with the "work in progress" signs very much in evidence as he continues to reshape and rebuild his squad.

In contrast, Motherwell boss Mark McGhee has, despite the tragic death of captain Phil O'Donnell, enjoyed a consistency of selection which will be the envy of many, defender Mark Reynolds, for instance, having played every minute of every game this season, just one of nine Fir Park players who has featured in the vast majority of matches.

McGhee, operating with a small squad to which he added a few astute signings, has managed to avoid the sort of injury problems which have afflicted others while, in stark contrast to Hibs, his side's disciplinary record is exemplary, only Bob Malcolm having being sent off.

Red and yellow cards have cost Hibs dearly, particularly in the final five matches when, faced with tough enough a schedule as it was, with three of those games away from home, the dismissals of Gathuessi, Colin Nish, Martin Canning and Ian Murray left Paatelainen chopping and changing on a weekly basis.

However, despite that early setback, Hibs did have their chances as Alan O'Brien, who arrived from Newcastle United to be hailed as the new Ivan Sproule only to disappoint hugely, showed more than a few glimpses to back up that billing.

Blessed with blistering pace, the Republic of Ireland winger looked dangerous, particularly throughout the first half, as he threw in a succession of crosses, Keith Lasley taking Steven Fletcher's header off his own line before the Scotland striker somehow managed to nod wide from six yards with the goal gaping.

Brian McLean knocked a netbound effort from Nish away and the big hitman was also guilty of heading over, this time from a Paul Hanlon delivery, when he might have done better before O'Brien, presented with a superb opening, succeeded only in drilling his shot straight at goalkeeper Luke Daniels. Again it was symptomatic of what has gone wrong for Hibs in recent matches, only two goals from Dean Shiels to show since the SPL split, leaving Paatelainen to admit: "I felt we created lots of chances and could have scored enough to win the match.

"But in the last few games we have been blunt up front and that cost us."

Any side which cannot find the net is always going to be vulnerable, and defensively Hibs haven't been the most commanding of sides over the past few seasons, a deficiency which has often been compensated for by the number of goals scored at the other end.

And Motherwell exploited that frailty again minutes into the second half, a long ball catching Rob Jones flatfooted as Ross McCormack got in behind him. The towering defender's bid to recover the situation resulted in the Motherwell striker going down, leading to assistant referee George Drummond to indicate a penalty. Substitute Jamie Murphy stepped up to leave goalkeeper Andy McNeil kicking his post in frustration as he got a hand to the spot-kick but failed to prevent it crossing the line.

Referee Charlie Richmond would have been as well blowing the final whistle there and then, even the Easter Road scoreboard operator appearing to lose interest as he flashed up the latest news from Tannadice and Pittodrie.

A succession of decent saves from McNeil prevented it becoming even more embarrassing for Hibs as Paatelainen lamented the standard of defending, claiming it was such that he'd even have fancied his chances.

He said: "Our defending was really, really poor. Some of our midfielders and defenders just decided not to defend, it was a really poor display."

As such it was a decidedly low key affair on the final whistle as Paatelainen's forlorn stars said their farewells – for this season at least – to the supporters.

Paatelainen said: "Everyone is going away disappointed, the fans, the players."

But the big Finn insisted his players, having been languishing in eighth when he took over, deserved some credit at least for having hauled themselves back into contention for the UEFA Cup. He said: "They have put in a lot of effort since January and deserve credit for making the top six. I told them that but to finish like this takes the shine off it. We are all disappointed to finish on this note."

However, as they say, the table doesn't lie, this defeat and Aberdeen's win over Rangers resulting in Hibs ending up sixth – just like last season.