Sunday October 19th 2025
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Katie Gregory
The statistics set the stage for a tense afternoon at Easter Road, with Hibs winless in eight matches and Livingston without a victory in seven. Both sides were desperate to turn their fortunes around and find a victory to boost their morale.
Livingston kicked off the action but Nicky Cadden had the first sight of goal for Hibs after a magnetic pass from Bowie. The cohesion in their attack was impressive, but Cadden overshot the ball well over the bar.
Josh Mulligan wanted in on the action too, and tried to make a shot work from range – but it was ultimately deflected to a corner. Nicky Cadden whipped the ball into the box, but with too many bodies crowding the area, Hibs couldn’t find a clean shot and Livingston cleared the danger.
Full of energy, Hibs continued their attack fiercely – and any time Livingston got on the ball was unremarkable.
In the 12th minute – Thibault Klidjé burst into the box and sent a stunning shot into the top of the goal. Livingston goalkeeper Jérôme Prior got a fingertip to it, but Klidjé’s strike had too much power to be stopped.
The opener only lifted Hibs further, and Livingston still looked nervous in possession, unable to settle into any real rhythm. Another chance soon came again for Klidjé as he ran onto a deflected ball and shot – but the effort lacked any real
power and Prior collected the ball.
As the half-hour mark approached, Hibs looked stronger than ever, with a composed midfield giving their attack the freedom to create. Klidje was instrumental again and set up Nicky Cadden perfectly but the winger sent his shot much too high.
Towards the end of the first half, Livingston’s frustration was clear as they struggled to create meaningful chances – and failed to capitalise on the few that came their way.
Half-time offered Martindale’s side a chance to regroup, but it was Hibernian who hit the ground running after the restart. Hibs dominated possession, and soon Jamie McGrath unleashed a fierce shot that looked destined for the net, only for Prior to show his quality as he tipped it over the bar.
Just minutes later, Mulligan and McGrath linked up perfectly to tee up Bowie, only for Prior to pull off a stunning one-handed save.
Soon after, a tussle between Montano and Klidjé earned Hibs a penalty, which McGrath converted clinically to make it 2-0 in the 52nd minute.
Once again, Hibs were invigorated. Contrastingly, Livingston were in need of fresh energy. Martindale made a series of changes as the second half continued, and eventually totaled six substitutions.
David Gray then made the first changes to his side. Boyle and Hoilett came on for Bowie and Klidjé. After such an impressive performance, it’s no surprise Klidjé was serenaded as he left the pitch.
As the second half wrapped up, Hibs were still full of life and ideas. In the 79th minute, Chris Cadden crossed from the right to meet Junior Hoilett – who rose the highest and headed the ball superbly into the net, adding the third goal of the match.
Just ten minutes later, the duo brought the magic again and Hoilett fired a powerful shot into the net – much to the delight of the home fans.
As the final whistle blew at Easter Road, few could argue they hadn’t been entertained. Hibs walked away with a vital morale-boosting victory, and Livingston took away some necessary lessons to learn.
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