AS I took my usual seat at Easter Road on Saturday, it must have felt similar to how many of the kids will feel going back to school this week after their holidays. You once again sit beside people who you haven't seen for the entire summer and get excited about what the term ahead is going to bring.
After a few handshakes, waves and thumbs-ups to familiar faces around me, I sat down and promptly witnessed something that not many of us had seen in ages – Hibs scoring a competitive goal!
In less time than it takes to get to opening the lyric,
"when I was five, my Daddy took me down to Easter Road" in the Hibs Heroes song, Colin Nish made up for his faux pas last week and buried the opener. What a start!
It was also a good start for my mate Stevie's pal, who had stuck £25 on Colin to get the first goal at 5/1 – another happy Hibby. I also like a wee punt with Mr Ladbrokes of a Saturday and always back Hibs to win 3-2 (ever the optimist!) and said as much pre-match and advised anyone who cared to listen to stick their cash on that result.
Jackie McNamara Snr was taking in the game as well, as he now has an obvious interest in Falkirk, but he had a much more cautious approach and reckoned there wouldn't be many goals at all. Oops.
Colin Nish's early strike quickly saw to Jackie Mac's theory and the big laddie from Musselburgh, who has been getting his fair share of stick from the Hibs fans of late, did brilliantly and then put himself on for a hat-trick by dinking in another one 20 minutes later.
Falkirk, as we suspected, fought to get themselves back in the game and when they scored, all of a sudden, it was most definitely "game on".
Hibs really should have taken the game beyond them by converting one of the many chances they created. Nish, Rankin and Fletcher all missed borderline sitters which not only kept the goal tally down, but very much kept Yogi's men in the game.
Russell Latapy once again graced the Easter Road turf and was a joy to watch, but despite his genius, he could well have been involved in another 6-2 Demolition job – albeit this time round on the receiving end!
I don't know who the doughnut was in the East Stand who kept booing him throughout the match, but thankfully that was put right by the Hibs fans who roundly applauded him when he went to take a corner and again later, when he was subbed.
The second half started much like the first, but this time I wasn't quite ready and only heard the resulting roar from Hanlon's goal from the top of the stairs.
Then, within six minutes, Falkirk were right back in it again and my tip of 3-2 was on! But the way things had gone I thought the chances of that scoreline staying static for the remaining 35 minutes were somewhat slim.
And what a long 35 minutes they turned out to be. I genuinely wasn't so much concerned about my bet, more so Hibs not coming away with all three points. And in 88 minutes both my bet and the result was almost up in smoke when Mark Stewart battered the post, but, for once, luck was on our side and the three points (and £130) were duly claimed. Nice. It was a performance littered with positives, but, for me, the best was the form of Alan O'Brien. He seems to be at last delivering much of the promise showed last year, and at this rate it'll have been worth the wait. He was involved in all the goals, his trademark lightning paced runs and some crucial tackling in all areas of the pitch – up to now never seen before. If he keeps this form up, he could be like another new signing.
So, given Saturday's performance from Hibs, Mixu's promise of a poor pre-season being worthwhile, might just be bearing fruit.
Glory, Glory!
The full article contains 707 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
