Conceicao penalties floor Hibs

Hibernians 1
St George's 2

St George's won only their second match of the season to push their tally to 12 points and make sure to start the second phase on equal footing with Pietà Hotspurs in what promises to be a tight relegation battle between these two sides.

This match may have been billed as uneventful, but, in reality, it was littered with controversial incidents, particularly late in the second half and after the match.

In the end, St George's returned home with three important points, courtesy of two goals from penalties by man-of-the-match Renato Conceicao.

Having already squeezed into the Championship Pool, Hibernians were expected to play without pressure in their last match before the Championship Pool gets underway.

Coach Robert Gatt and his troops have often come under heavy criticism this season for their inconsistency. The Paolites had a topsy-turvy campaign so far and at one point their presence in the top six was also in doubt.

Yesterday, Hibs had Andre Rocha da Silva in the starting XI with Clayton Failla on the subs bench.

The Saints have so far found the going tough so far but their spirited displays against top brass sides have won them the admiration of many neutral fans.

In Conceicao, they have a true leader. The Brazilian, player of the month for January, has been flawless throughout. It will be no surprise if he seeks pastures new at the end of the season.

Despite the absence of Edoardo Do Nascimento, St George's have made a useful signing in the likes of Alfred Effiong. The Nigerian has quickly established himself as a lethal striker in front of goal.

Yesterday, however, Effiong was under tight scrutiny and rarely had a sniff at goal although he did win a late penalty that landed his side the winner.

Five minutes into the encounter, Spiteri launched a measured pass towards Mizzi who beat the offside trap before trying a lob that was neutralised by Muscat in the Hibs' goal.

Hibs were rather lethargic up front despite being led by a three-pronged attack with Cohen roaming behind Scerri and Caruana.

There were little notes of action until the 27th minute when St George's were awarded a penalty as a hasty clearance by the Hibs rearguard rebounded off Vella's extended arm. Conceicao kept his cool with a grounder in the bottom corner beyond Muscat's reach.

On the stroke of half time, Hibs were close to an equaliser when a calibrated Cohen free-kick nearly surprised the returning Paris.

Three minutes into the second half, the Poalites fashioned their best scoring chance. Cohen delivered a cross from the right and Scerri's glancing header skimmed the post.

On 57 minutes Cohen again floated a free-kick into the box, Scerri got the faintest of touches but his header hit the upright.

Midway through the second half, the referee cautioned no fewer than four players, two from each side, as tempers started to flare following some reckless tackles.

Cohen was once again the catalyst of Hibs' next move on 68 minutes as Paris could only parry his free-kick and Jonathan Caruana nipped in for the loose ball but his shot finished wide.

On 71 minutes, Cohen's corner was brilliantly met by Pulis whose sizzling header thundered off the bar.

Hibs leveled the score inside the last quarter. Failla delivered a cross towards the unmarked Scerri, who concluded the move with an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.

The goal brought harsh protests from St George's who contended that Scerri had handled the ball before hitting home. Schembri over-reacted in his protests and was red carded for his offence as the officials struggled to restore calm on the pitch.

But, more drama was in store in the final minutes. From hero Scerri turned to zero as he was expelled for dissent barely a minute after picking up a yellow card for handball.

Scerri was still on his way out of the pitch when Effiong was floored inside the Hibs box.

A penalty was awarded. Conceicao beat Muscat for the second time but not before Scerri was restrained by his colleagues as he tried to re-enter the pitch to challenge the ref's decision.

Hibs tried to save the match and went close through Cohen and Thomas Caruana. On both occasions Paris was on the spot to save.

There were some tense moments as the last Saints' players were exiting the pitch in front of the Hibs' end. Apparently, the referee was already on his way to the dressing room and missed the deplorable incident.

Hibernians: M. Muscat-6, A. Pulis-6 ('86 L. Grech), A. Xuereb-5.5, J. Caruana-5.5, P. Doffo-5.5, A. Cohen-6.5, T. Scerri-, T. Caruana-6, J. Vella-6 (C. Failla), E. Agius-5.5 ('62 B. Camilleri-5.5), A. Rocha Da Silva-5.5.

St George's: B. Paris-6.5, J. Spiteri-6, A. Effiong-6, R. Conceicao-7.5, L. Grima-6.5, L. Mizzi-6, E. Sevasta-6.5, H. Schembri-, C. Brincat-6, L. Lagana-6, B. Fenech-6.

Referee: Joe Attard.

Scorers: Conceicao 27, 85 (pens); Scerri 76.

Yellow cards: Doffo, Grima, Pulis, Cohen, Spiteri, Lagana, Effiong, Scerri, Failla.

Red cards: Schembri 77, Scerri 83.

BoV player of the match: Renato Conceicao (St George's).