Hibs and St. Mirren played out an enthralling 2-2 draw on Saturday afternoon as the Hibees came back from 2-0 down within 20 minutes to earn a point.
The Buddies took the lead through goals from Conor McCarthy and Tony Andreu before the hosts hit back through Scott Allan and Christian Doidge before half-time.
Both sides had chances to win the game after the break but neither was able to find a breakthrough and grab the win as a host of new signings made their debuts – and in some cases returns.
Hibs move on to a midweek clash with Rangers while St. Mirren face Hamilton and both sides will have come away with a sense of disappointment at not getting three points.
Here are three things we learned after the 2-2 draw between the sides at Easter Road on Saturday:
Jack Ross’ Hibs may have had the best transfer window of any Premiership club
Paul McGinn, Greg Docherty and Marc McNulty all arriving in the final 24 hours of the January window should leave Hibs in a much stronger position than they were in when they returned from the winter break.
Throw in the return of Steph Omeonga and it looks like January could be a pivotal month for Hibs’ fortunes.
All three deadline day signings started the clash with the Buddies on the bench but once they get up to speed they should be crucial for Hibs.
The loss of Florian Kamberi to Rangers has been more than adequately replaced and, if everything clicks for Hibs, Jack Ross’ side could make a late surge for third place.
Jim Goodwin is putting something impressive together at St. Mirren
The Buddies are unlikely to win plaudits for their eye-catching football but, with one or two more pieces falling into place, Goodwin is putting together a really good side in Paisley.
They still lack someone who poses a real threat in front of goal but the arrivals of Seifedin Chabbi and Alex Jakubiak should help in that regard.
Despite losing Paul McGinn – coincidentally to the Hibees – St Mirren are solid defensively but really need to start picking up wins sooner rather than later.
Hibs need to tighten up defensively – and quickly
After seeing his side go 2-0 down within the opening 20 minutes, Jack Ross will rightly have been furious at some of his side’s defending as St. Mirren scored with ease – and could have had a couple more.
The Buddies appeared to target David Gray early on and the right-back looked rattled as he was exploited for the second goal by Ilkay Durmus’ run.
Injuries and a lack of consistency offer some mitigation for Hibs but they need to tighten up quickly as they enter a crucial phase of the season.
The Easter Road side have as potent attack as any in the Premiership – however they won’t always be able to outscore the defensive lapses.