There is little doubt that Hibernian needed a change of luck at the weekend - it looked however as if that was simply not going to happen, in particular when Benjelloun created and then missed their best opportunity, a second-half penalty that appeared to finally mark a change in fortunes. Enter however a young man who certainly carried good fortune the last time he took to the field, Danny Galbraith producing a darting and direct probe at the Kilmarnock defence before being brought down.

The resulting free kick - reported to be from 25 yards by many, but in reality at least another 4 yards further back given the Killie wall had to line up a yard outside the penalty area - was duly curled into the top corner by Derek Riordan, finally putting a seal on the change of fortune and allowing three points to be added to the Hibernian tally for the first time in six games. Had the kick been allowed from where the offence actually took place then it might well have been taken by Galbraith himself, but the youngster was not going to argue against Riordan when it was placed a few yards further from the target area!

Danny said:  "There was a mark on the pitch about three or four yards further forward from where I was taken down - I wanted to hit it, but once the referee moved us back I thought it was more in Derek's range so I let him have it! I've heard it said it was a soft free kick - but it was definitely not soft, from my point of view I was running through and the player was behind me - and I was taken clean out, so it was a clear-cut decision."   Galbraith was just delighted to help his side gain those precious points, admitting that they were badly needed: "I think we have picked up something like two points in the last fifteen and that is nowhere near the form that we should be showing or were showing earlier this season. It was perhaps one of the biggest games of our season so far because it was vital that we got back on track, especially after last week, when we were at home it is vital that we capitalise on that."

Galbraith was certainly noticed from the moment he stepped onto the Easter Road pitch, his new yellow boats appearing to bring forth a few comments from his manager! Danny explained: "The manager actually has not said anything to me but I have had a bit of stick for the first few days! To be honest they weren't actually the boots I wanted but they were the type that I wear - I wanted new ones from the shop because my other ones were ripped. I had done the 'A-to-Z' feature for the match programme a few weeks ago and I was asked about coloured boots, and said they were alright as long as you don't wear a bright yellow pair!

"Then a week later my girlfriend Kate went to get me a new pair and these were the only ones left - even I wasn't that comfortable but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what colour of boots you wear. It does make you stand out though so you need to make sure you don't have a nightmare or you will stand out even more!"   Galbraith has been used sparingly this season, but as the youngest player in the current first-team squad he has no complaints on that score - although he remains hopeful of a place in the squad for the Active Nation Scottish Cup tie this week: "Hopefully I will be involved. I just keep trying to work hard in training every day and to take my chances when they come, which I feel as if I have been doing so I am eager to get a bit more game time. We couldn't have got a better draw this year that is for sure - things have went well for us and that is no disrespect to the teams that we have played, but the possibility of getting into the semi-final without having played another SPL side is there - if you offered us that at the start of the season we would take the hand off for that sort of draw.

"Obviously it is by no means we are guaranteed to win and we will have to make sure that we will perform because Ross County will be up for it. They won 9-0 in the last round so they are no mugs and coming to Easter Road will be a big game for them and like most underdogs they will raise their game. It is important that we get through and the manager has stressed that he wants a good cup run after he managed to get to the final last year with Falkirk and he demands that we try to match that this year."

Images: Alan Rennie for Hibernian TV