Hibernian 0 - 0 Aberdeen: Hibs can't win numbers game

REGARDLESS of whether they are a fan of the league split in principle, the fact is that no player or manager is a fan of being denied another shot at the bigger names when top and bottom go their separate ways.

Add to that the end-of-season SPL pay-outs, which increase the further up the table the team finishes, and there is serious incentive to make the top six.

It wasn't always evident in the first half of this game but the realities seemed to have registered in the minds of the Hibs players by the time the second half got under way. Suddenly they looked like they craved an end to the stalemate as much as everyone else in the stadium. Understandable really, given the fact that draws do not offer the kind of reward they need at the moment. With Motherwell jostling for position with the Easter Road men, their draw in the day's early kick off meant Hibs knew that maximum points not only ensure they stayed ahead of Mark McGhee's men but also opened up a gap.

Which is why, with trips to Tannadice, St Mirren Park and a home match against Rangers coming up before their fate is decided, when they got the chance to secure some points yesterday they should have taken them. Instead, as has happened too often throughout this campaign, they failed to maximise the return. Even although Jamie Langfield did his best to aid and abet.

The Aberdeen goalkeeper had a uncomfortable afternoon and it was as much down to his own frailties as anything Hibs were able to conjure up. Time after time he was deceived by the ball as it bounced or bobbled in front of him and on more than a couple of occasions he failed to hold on to Hibs' efforts, necessitating some hurried clearances from his defenders. It was the kind of uncertainty which should have bolstered the home side but they remained incapable of capitalising on any of the blunders.

He was given a bit of a reprieve by referee Mike McCurry in the 43rd minute when he spilled the ball under pressure from Colin Nish. The ball ended up in the net but the officials deemed that it had been an unfair challenge from the Hibs striker and the goal didn't stand.

It was a decision which annoyed Hibs manager Mixu Paatelainen. "I thought it was a goal and I have just seen it again on TV and Colin jumped well and got there early. He didn't go to foul the goalkeeper at all and I thought it was a good goal." Nish certainly set off celebrating after McCurry seemed to signal for a goal, but it was a brief celebration, and a brief moment of intrigue in a match that was fast descending into ragged tedium.

The first half had started brightly enough but play was disrupted as one player after another picked up knocks which required treatment or even a change of personnel. First Tommy Wright. A brave header in the 13th minute resulted in the Aberdeen striker leaving the pitch with a bloody head wound, returning six minutes later swathed in bandages. Then it was Lewis Stevenson, who was replaced by Ian Murray, then Denes Rosa, who played out the rest of the game with a plastered napper. Colin Nish also required treatment which held up the game and any fizz that had been in the play went flat. It was like an episode of Casualty but without the drama.

While Aberdeen continued to pass the ball about, there was no creativity or end product. Hibs, on the other hand, were trying to find a route to goal. The passing was decent in patches and although some crosses were still enough to prompt groans from the crowd, there were a couple of telling deliveries which almost helped the home side find the breakthrough. The latest formation, with Rankin and Rosa in the heart of the midfield, displaying defensive qualities but also the ability to pick out a forward pass, has undoubtedly helped, while Nish and Fletcher are both finding some decent form again.

It was the two strikers who combined to produce the best goalscoring moment of the second half. Nish did the early work and sent a tempting pass across Langfield's goal. All it required was a side-footed tap in from his colleague and few in the ground, given Fletcher's recent ratio, would have bet against him. But whether he took his eye off the ball or the backtracking defender caught his attention, he completely failed to connect.

The visitors then handed the capital side another advantage. With seven minutes of the match remaining, Mark Kerr, who had enjoyed a decent game in the holding midfield role, succumbed to a second of silliness. Having won a foul after Rob Jones clambered over him, he reacted badly and squared up to the defender and was sent packing. The scoreline may have been level but the number of players each team had no longer was. And, following the final whistle, not even his manager defended his actions. He couldn't understand why he had done it but he could understand why the referee produced the red card. It gave Hibs a final few minutes to try and tie up all three points but still they could not find a winner and the fight for a place in the top six plods on.