Hamilton 0-1 Hibernian: Resilient Hibs celebrate an encouraging afternoon at both ends of the pitch

THIS was a victory loaded with significance for Hibernian at both ends of the pitch. The headlines, quite rightly, belong to Derek Riordan, who secured all three points for the Easter Road club with a stunning goal barely a minute after he had replaced the ill Steven Fletcher.

Equally satisfying for his manager Mixu Paatelainen, however, was the clean sheet recorded by his side who were forced to show real resilience to repel a second half onslaught from a Hamilton Accies outfit who could consider themselves unfortunate to emerge empty-handed from an absorbing 90 minutes.

It is the first time since last March that Hibs have recorded two consecutive wins in the SPL, and, after a stuttering start to the campaign, there are now signs Paatelainen's men may have both the quality and consistency necessary to sustain a challenge in the top half of the table.

Solidity has seldom been a hallmark of Hibs in recent years, but it is something Paatelainen is working hard to instil in his team. With Ian Murray providing intelligent and robust insurance as a holding midfielder in front of a back four well marshalled by captain Rob Jones, Hibs were able to suffocate most of Hamilton's work in the final third of the pitch. "We have spoken a lot about how important it is to keep clean sheets," said Paatelainen. "We want to be an attacking team, but we also need to defend well as a team. We did that when Hamilton put us under pressure in the second half."

There were still occasional signs of the brittleness at the back Hibs have come to be associated with, notably when unpredictable goalkeeper Yves Makalambay charged injudiciously out of his penalty area but was not punished by out-of-touch Hamilton Academical striker Richard Offiong. Despite his eccentricity, the giant Belgian clearly has all the attributes necessary to become a top-class exponent of his job. He made two terrific saves to deny Joel Thomas and Mark Corcoran during Hamilton's most intense spell of pressure and feels he is still growing into his position as Hibs' first-choice keeper.

"Last season was my first at this level," said Makalambay, "and I wanted to make a big impression. I was excited at finally getting the chance of first-team football and I was a bit naive. I was like a little boy being given a football for the first time, I was just happy to be here.

"Now I'm a bit more mature and I hope to keep improving and learning all the time. I'm only 22 and I don't think goalkeepers peak until they are 26. This was a sweet win for the defence and will give us a lot of confidence."

This could have been a more comfortable victory for Hibs had they made the most of a slick and confident start to the match. Dean Shiels wastefully drove their first chance of the afternoon over Tomas Cerny's goal before Colin Nish struck the crossbar with a close-range header. The loss of Fletcher, who had been suffering all week from flu, seven minutes before half-time would normally have been seen as a severe blow for Hibs, but on this occasion it proved propitious. Riordan, as he had done against Dundee United the previous week, came on to thunderous acclaim from the Hibs fans and made an instant impact. Accepting a pass from Murray, he cut in from the left and curled a sumptuous right foot shot beyond Cerny's grasping left hand into the corner of the net.

"Derek is a top-class finisher and showed that," said Paatelainen. "His groin problem has gone, but he still wasn't ready to start the game. I didn't plan for him to play as long as he did, but thankfully he came up with the winner."

Hamilton will play far worse and pick up points this season. They were given a standing ovation by their supporters at the final whistle and manager Billy Reid could take some consolation from their display.

"We were poor in the first half in terms of what we are trying to achieve here," he said, "but there was a massive improvement in the second half.

"We penned Hibs in and the only disappointment was we took the wrong options in the final third. But I didn't see a massive gap between the teams."

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ian Murray (Hibernian)

Playing behind Joe Keenan and in front of the back four, the utility man gave Hibs solidity in the centre of midfield and used his experience to deny Hamilton space in the final third.