IN THE 15 months or so since he made his Hibernian debut, Andy McNeil has had more highs and lows than some players experience in a whole career.
Just over a year ago, the young goalkeeper was climbing the Hampden steps to collect a winners' medal
after helping his team lift the CIS Insurance Cup in only his 12th appearance for the first-team. His breakthrough season then went into freefall, a succession of calamitous blunders in high-profile matches, notably against Hearts and Rangers in the SPL, and on international duty for Scotland Under-20s at the World Cup in Canada, giving rise to the suggestion that he was a liability under pressure.
The summer signing of Yves Makalambay from Chelsea has reduced McNeil to a peripheral role for the majority of this season, but unshakeable self belief and hard work in training has helped the former Leith Academy pupil to find strength in adversity. This was showcased at Easter Road on Saturday, when, in just his fourth start of the season, the 21-year-old produced his best display in a Hibs jersey to date.
St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson thought McNeil was the difference between the teams; Mixu Paatelainen, the Hibs manager, used the words "tremendous" and "fantastic" to describe his performance. Makalambay returned to light training last week and will probably be fully fit for Hibs' first post-split match on Saturday week, but McNeil's performance may just persuade Paatelainen to think twice before automatically recalling the Belgium Under-21 international.
"I've had a problem before because Andy trains really, really well," said Paatelainen. "He has a tremendous attitude in training sessions and makes fantastic saves. He keeps himself in tip-top condition. He's always ready. I know that whenever asked, he's able to play well. Certainly today he did that."
McNeil has still not played 30 first-team matches for Hibs, and knows there is every chance he'll be on back on the bench for the rest of the season. Though clearly hurt by the criticism he received last year, he insists he never doubted his own ability.
"A lot happened in those two or three months towards the end of the season: a lot of positive things and a lot of learning experiences as well," he said. "The important thing is that you do learn from these things. When you're a young man in any profession you're just trying to learn and move forward, and that's what I've been trying to do."
Asked if he is determined to prove his critics wrong, he replied: "No, not at all. I just want to do the best I can. I've got ambitions and aspirations to do well, and that's what drives me forward. Hate and spite – these things don't spur me on because when people start praising you they disappear. There's always going to be criticism, there's always going to be flak and there will always be people who don't rate you or think that somebody else is better, but you can't dwell on these things. It's got to be positive and it's better to do things for yourself. You've just got to dig deep and believe in yourself that you can come through it."
Although there were fleeting moments in the first half when his decision-making and kicking from the ground threatened to let him down, McNeil excelled when called upon to make four outstanding saves after the interval. The first came on the hour from David Barron's right-foot volley. With ten minutes left and St Mirren continuing to press, Will Haining was then denied twice. After his header was cleared off the line, the centre-back must have thought his sweetly-struck volley was bound for the net until McNeil dived to his right to tip the ball round the post at full stretch. It was the pick of a fine bunch.
The goalkeeper's work wasn't done, though. As injury time approached he was on hand to claw out a close-range Stewart Kean header, and when Haining found himself clean through eight yards from goal, McNeil was up to the task again, getting a crucial touch to divert the ball for a corner.
St Mirren, perhaps buoyed by wins at both Tynecastle and Easter Road earlier in the season, were the more fluent and threatening team in the second half, and MacPherson was pleased with his team's response to a mistake by their goalkeeper, Chris Smith, as early as the fourth minute. After mis-kicking an attempted clearance from a pass back, Smith was stranded in no-man's land, and Colin Nish took advantage with a sublime left-foot lob from 25 yards to put Hibs in front.
The goalkeeper could do little to prevent the home team from doubling their lead a minute later with a goal out of nothing, Merouane Zemmama collecting the ball more than 30 yards out before unleashing an unstoppable right-foot drive into the top corner.
It was a whirlwind start, and had Steven Fletcher's header not been ruled out for offside in the 11th minute Hibs may have gone on to make it a rout. But the visitors gradually established a foothold before throwing all but the kitchen sink at McNeil in the closing stages. "The game would have finished 30-0 if it had carried on like that but it never goes like that, unfortunately," said Paatelainen. "A third goal would have sealed it, but we went to sleep a bit."
MacPherson believes his team's passing has improved markedly since the start of the season, and in January signing Andy Dorman they now have a threatening midfield runner. The former New England Revolution player was well policed by Ian Murray for the most part, but when Hibs' most effective outfield player was forced to retreat from his holding midfield position to fill in for injured centre-back Chris Hogg after an hour, Dorman exploited the extra space and St Mirren's five-man midfield took control.
Results are more important than performances for Hibs at this stage of the season, and now that the St Mirren bogey has been wiped clean, Dundee United are the only Premier League team the Easter Road side have failed to beat this season. Paatelainen would settle for beating them, and Motherwell, to third spot, and if that transpires McNeil will have played his part.
The full article contains 1085 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
