Hibernian Edges Past Partick Thistle in Cup Clash
Owen Elding’s early strike was enough to haul Hibernian into the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals – but they were made to sweat every inch of the way by a fearless Partick Thistle.
The forward grabbed his third goal of the season with a simple finish at the back post, then watched from the other end as his defence and goalkeeper clung on under heavy late pressure in a fraught 1-0 win at Easter Road.
Elding pounces as Hibs fly out the blocks
If there were any fears of heavy legs after Hibs’ midweek trip to North Macedonia and Conference League progress against Shkendija, they vanished almost immediately. David Gray freshened his side with Kanayo Megwa, Jack Iredale, Joe Newell and Jamie McGrath, and the hosts tore into Thistle from the first whistle.
Inside five minutes, they should have been ahead. McGrath slid a clever through ball into Elding’s path and the striker burst clear, only to see his low drive blocked by the legs of Liam McFarlane, the on-loan Hearts goalkeeper.
Elding didn’t dwell on it. He simply went again.
On 12 minutes, Iredale surged to the byline on the left and whipped a wicked ball across the six-yard box. It begged for a touch, and Elding obliged, arriving at the back post to knock it home. A simple finish, but a goal born from Hibs’ tempo and aggression.
At that stage, it looked like being a comfortable night. Hibs were sharp, Thistle were stretched, and the tie felt close to slipping away from the Championship side before it had really begun.
Then the game changed pace.
Missed chances keep Thistle alive
Instead of killing the contest, Hibs let it breathe. The passing slowed, the gaps narrowed, and Kris Doolan’s side grew into the occasion.
Thistle were organised and stubborn, making life awkward for Gray’s team in the final third. They offered little cutting edge themselves early on, but they refused to be rolled over, and that alone kept the match on a knife edge.
Oisin Smyth had a deflected effort drift wide as Thistle probed for a route back in, but most of the danger before the break still came at McFarlane’s end.
The young keeper kept his team alive with a superb double intervention. First he produced a stunning reflex save, tipping Elding’s close-range effort on to the bar when the striker looked certain to score again. Moments later, Nathan Lowe broke through and McFarlane spread himself brilliantly, blocking with his feet.
Hibs went down the tunnel with only a single-goal lead, and it felt fragile.
VAR drama and a late Thistle surge
The pattern continued after half-time. Hibs pushed for a second, Thistle clung on, and McFarlane stayed busy. Mayor tried his luck from the edge of the box and the keeper was down smartly to turn it behind.
On 58 minutes, Elding had the chance to settle it. Lowe picked him out with a raking pass that sliced open the Thistle back line. Elding was clear, but a heavy touch let the ball run and McFarlane dived bravely at his feet to smother. The loose ball fell to McGrath, who went for an audacious chip, only to see it drop on top of the net.
Those misses set the stage for a tense final half-hour.
The turning point almost came on 65 minutes. Sebastian Drozd’s effort struck Newell inside the box and referee Duncan Nicolson pointed to the spot. Thistle celebrated, Hibs protested. Then VAR stepped in. After a review, Nicolson reversed his decision, ruling the contact accidental. The home side exhaled; the away end raged.
That controversy lit a fire under Thistle. They threw everything forward.
Cale Loughrey thundered a free-kick towards the top corner, only for Rafa Sallinger to beat it away with a strong hand. The Austrian then reacted sharply at his near post to keep out a driven effort from Smyth.
The chances kept coming. Ben Stanway glanced a header wide from a promising position. Ben Dempsey surged into the box and drilled low at the near post, but again Sallinger stood firm, turning it behind.
Hibs were hanging on by the end, defending deep, clearing their lines, and waiting for the whistle.
It finally came, dragging them over the line and into the last eight. The performance was far from ruthless. The margin was thin. But in cup football, survival is its own statement.
The question now is whether this narrow escape sharpens Hibs for what lies ahead, or exposes the fragility that better sides will be desperate to exploit.
