Monday 22 February 2016 10:31, UK
Hibernian picked up three vital points as they beat Alloa 3-0 at Easter Road on Sunday in the Scottish Championship.
Martin Boyle scored either side of a Danny Carmichael goal to keep Hibs' promotion challenge on course.
The hosts took just five minutes to open the scoring and Liam Henderson was the architect as he drifted in from the left flank to the centre of the Alloa half before sending a defence-splitting pass into the penalty area for Boyle to clip past Scott Gallacher and tap over the line
But the visitors almost levelled 90 seconds later when Ryan Finnie crossed from the right side of the Hibs box to Steven Hetherington arriving behind Boyle at the back post, but Mark Oxley was in the perfect spot to stop the ball on the line.
Henderson was involved again on 13 minutes when he slipped through another weighted pass, this time to the overlapping Carmichael, but his low cut-back was miss-hit by James Keatings.
And Henderson then curled a free-kick from 25 yards round the Alloa wall, but Gallacher was well positioned to clutch the ball into his chest.
At the other end, Connor McManus tried to catch out Oxley with his free-kick from the left side of the Hibs penalty area, but the 'keeper was alert to push the ball clear.
Hibs doubled their advantage five minutes before the break when Dylan McGeouch squared to Keatings in front of the penalty area, and he shaped to shoot before threading a pass to Carmichael racing into the box on the left to finish the move by placing the ball under Gallacher.
Alloa spurned two great opportunities to get back into the match in the early stages of the second half.
The first came when Niklas Gunnarsson slipped on the halfway line and lost possession to Michael Duffy, who strode forward with Isaac Layne arriving unmarked in the centre, but he played his pass against Hibernian's lone defender Marvin Bartley.
And Duffy then raced on to a lofted pass, beating Liam Fontaine for pace, to loft his shot over the advancing Oxley, but the ball dropped on to the top of the net.
Liam Caddis also came close for Alloa when he curled a low shot a yard wide of the far post, while at the other end, Chris Dagnall shot weakly at Gallacher after he had hesitated when racing on to a through pass.
Hibs had also come close when Henderson's corner found Liam Fontaine at the edge of the box and the centre-back flicked the ball over Dougie Hill before shooting over the bar.
Oxley was again tested with a powerful drive from Mitch Megginson and the 'keeper got down to make a great save.
But Hibernian secured the points on 77 minutes when Dagnall crashed a low drive into the six-yard box and it broke into the path of Boyle to smash home at the back post.