The wee Hibees got back to winning ways with an impressive 3-2 victory over Rangers on Tuesday afternoon.
Rudi Molotnikov, Reuben McAllister and Dean Cleland got the goals in a five-goal thriller at HTC, as the young Hibees recorded their third win over Rangers U18s this season.
After playing out a goalless draw four days previous at the Rangers Training Ground, both teams went head-to-head in another competitive encounter at HTC.
It was the visitors who made the better of the start between the two teams, enjoying a lot of the ball and putting pressure on the Hibs defence. But it was the Hibees who opened the scoring with a well-worked goal just before half-time.
Rory Whittaker played a smart one-two with Harry Wright before digging out a cross on the by-line. His pin-point delivery found the head of Rudi Molotnikov who made no mistake with the finish, glancing the ball into the far corner.
The lead did not last long however, with the host levelling the tie five minutes into the second half with a goal on the counter-attack.
The wee Hibees responded almost instantly, getting into the final third with Dean Cleland winning a free-kick right on the edge of the area.
Reuben McAllister stepped up and curled a brilliant left-foot strike into the far corner to regain the lead.
Almost straight from kick-off, Darren McGregor’s side added a third! Dean Cleland showed great persistence and determination to win the ball back at the Rangers corner flag, before driving into the box himself and firing the ball into the bottom corner with a great individual effort.
The Gers did pull one back in the closing stages of the match. Owen Hastie did well to block a Rangers attacker’s effort but the rebound fell back to a blue shirt who finished at the second attempt.
The wee Hibees saw out the remaining few minutes, claiming an important three points in the CAS Elite League.
