To the tune of "Hibs away, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh uh-huh", supporters of the Edinburgh club were bouncing in Belgium on Thursday night. Not only because chairman Ian Gordon lumped £40,000 behind the bar at the fanzone venue earlier in the day, but because their side took an almighty step towards the £5m-plus bounty, which comes with a place in the Conference League proper, with a goalless draw at KAA Gent. David Gray, rightly, hailed "a brilliant away performance" but was quick to add "we've achieved nothing yet" - though they will be favourites to do so next week.
What an opportunity they have carved out to create history and become the first Hibs side to reach league phase - or group stage in old money - football in Europe. In Belgium, they backed up their mature showing away to Shkendija in North Macedonia last week with a comfortable and defensively astute performance to sit in command of this tie. At Easter Road, in front of what is sure to be a superb support, they know the tie - against a beatable Gent side - is well and truly alive.
Hibs eye league phase despite missed penalty against Gent McInnes' Rangers serve up stodgy 12-course banquet of huff and puff Hearts fight out four-goal thriller with Rapid Vienna Pre-match in O'Learys - the pool, darts, bowling and karaoke hall where Hibs fans congregated - a 0-0 result would not have just been accepted, but the offering hand snapped off. Belgian Pro League outfit Gent are no mugs. Rik de Mil's athletic side are unbeaten in the early stages of the season and saw off Gothenburg to get here.
In the opening stages, they smothered Hibs, who struggled to come up for air in the hosts' half. Until Warren O'Hora was clattered into and awarded a penalty. Supporters tucked in to the far left corner of the Planet Group Arena were all giddy and dreaming.
Fewer than two weeks ago, Josh Campbell scored from the spot to silence Ibrox as Hibs went on to defeat Rangers, but it was Owen Elding who grabbed the ball. Nothing wrong with his effort, searching for the corner, Gent goalkeeper and captain Davy Roef reacted sharply to get down and deny the 20-year-old superbly. He has previous with penalties, Gent required his heroics in the shootout against Cherkasy in the second qualifying round.
Elding, who has been piled with praise since his arrival in Leith remained determined to impact the game. "Owen came in at half-time, said 'sorry about the penalty boys, but we're on top so let's keep going'," captain for the night O'Hora told BBC Scotland post-match. "That's just the way he is.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
