Mowbray fumes over soft penalty

Odense 1 / Hibernian 0
Darren Johnstone at Fionia Park

Hibs manager Tony Mowbray maintains his side can still progress into this season’s Uefa Cup, despite a dubious penalty consigning the Easter Road outfit to a single goal defeat against Odense yesterday.

With the second leg of the Intertoto tie upon them as soon as next Saturday, the Edinburgh side have little time to stew on the decision by French referee Phillippe Kalt to award the Danish hosts a spot-kick in the 33rd minute for David Murphy’s seemingly legitimate challenge on Morten Fevang. Television pictures show that the left-back won the ball but that was of little concern to Chris Sorensen, who converted the opportunity as his side held out for a valuable lead.

The Scots had enjoyed much of the possession at the Fionia Park stadium but were unable to make the most of their chances. Yet afterwards, Mowbray was still staggered by the penalty award. “I have not seen the incident again but it looked from where I was sitting as a very soft penalty, one they are maybe fortunate to get but that’s football,” he said. “David is an honest boy and he’s bewildered by it, really, that they gave it.”

The Hibs manager was not so philosophical about the shortcomings of his own team, however, with Scott Brown, whose booking rules him out of the second leg, the subject of most of his disappointment. The midfielder had been warned before the game of the threat of suspension for the second leg but was his usual combative self.

“We spoke to Scott about that before the game, that’s all part of his learning curve really,” said a vexed Mowbray. “It was frustration with the way the game was going that got him booked and we have to try and curb that. It makes it harder for the team, he has to control that. When you want to win big football matches you need your best players on the field.”

The encounter matched the Hibs manager with his mentor Bruce Rioch, the Scot in situ in the Danish dug-out. The pair have been mutual admirers since their paths crossed at Middlesbrough during the 1980s and Mowbray remains optimistic he will be the one with a smile on his face after the two sides lock horns in Edinburgh next weekend.

“It was as I expected, it was a tight match,” he said. “There was plenty of good play, we have lost one-nil in a tight game. We will go back to Easter Road next week with the belief we can overturn that and we will look forward to that challenge.”

Hibs will go into the match with the confidence reaped from a sporadically impressive display in Denmark. They caused the hosts problems, most notably in the opening minutes, and can consider themselves unfortunate not to have scored an away goal.

The Maroon-clad hosts were on the rack from the kick-off with the Leith club making a composed start and coming close to opening the scoring after just four minutes. With Odense happy to retreat, Steven Fletcher advanced and his cross was prodded goal-ward by Chris Killen at the back post, but Arek Onyszko in the home goal blocked well.

The hosts, with former Manchester United player Mads Timm as a lone striker, maintained their conservative approach but gradually began to stamp their authority on the match. Timm, who looked lively, almost gave his side the lead, latching onto Anders Moller Christensen’s cross and shooting on the turn just past the post.

After the promise of the early exchanges, though, the encounter degenerated into a scrappy affair, with both sides cancelling each out in the middle of the park. That torpor was soon punctured though by the intervention of referee Kalt. Murphy appeared to win the ball from Morten Fevang after the midfielder had been set free by Timm on the counter, but the French official deemed the challenge illegal and penalised the left-back.

The yellow card was then brandished and the kick duly punted past Simon Brown for what was an unjust opener.

Clearly buoyed by this stroke of good fortune, the Danes’ dander was up. Jonas Borring tested Brown with a venomous effort that was tipped over the crossbar by the goalkeeper, with his defence looking vulnerable.

The half-time proposal of one game member of the Hibs contingent to a Danish lady-friend added some unusual entertainment in the absence of a pie and Bovril but it was not such a joyous interval for Chris Hogg. The young defender was divorced from the proceedings in favour of Omar Konde as Mowbray attempted to stem the gaping holes which were appearing in the Scottish side’s defence as the break approached.

Yet its initial impact was almost negative, Borring being allowed to move unmolested to the edge of the box before rattling a powerful shot against the post, which was eventually scrambled clear. By far the most entertaining character on the park, Borring was being afforded generous amounts of space and again breached the Hibs rearguard a minute later. Brown, though, did well to block his effort.

As the game degenerated, Scott Brown’s frustration got the better of him as Kalt’s yellow card again made an appearance. With Fletcher on Scotland under-19 duty on Saturday, too, it could be an uphill battle for Hibs.

Taken from the Sunday Herald