The wake-up call that gave Hibs the boost they needed against Hamilton

The home side eventually ran out 2-0 winners to make it four league victories on the bounce and safeguard their five-point lead over Aberdeen in the chase for third place. They also added another clean sheet to their growing collection but Hanlon confessed they had been startled by the relegation contenders in the opening period of the match and were lucky that a challenge by teenager Jack Hamilton on Martin Boyle handed them the advantage.

“I haven’t seen it back but, at the time, I was calling for it due to the speed of the tackle. I felt he came in fast but I haven’t watched it back again.”

Hanlon was one of several Hibs players outraged by the lunge, although others, including manager Jack Ross conceded it may not have merited more than a caution, a view strongly echoed by the aggrieved visiting contingent. But the impact was notable.

“It did change the game a bit,” said Hanlon, who felt the side had lost a bit of impetus due to the postponement of last weekend’s league match against Ross County.

“We probably started a bit sloppy and they had a few shots on goal early on. It definitely woke us up and we scored shortly after it, which was a boost for us. We needed that at the time.”

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