Hibernian 2-1 Livingston: Keeper Oxley’s stunner tames brave Lions

There are some days when you know everything’s going your way and Hibs boss Alan Stubbs will testify to that.

He has clearly worked hard at establishing a new fast-paced, passing style at Easter Road.

For his players to buy into that needs more than just ability.

Sticking to the one-touch stuff works best with a confident bunch of men.

Stubbs will have tried all sorts of things to restore morale around a club where the pain of suffering relegation was still the overriding emotion.

Encouraging words, tactical changes and fresh faces can all help.

But your new goalkeeper scoring from his own penalty area is priceless.

If you could bottle the boost that gave Hibs, you’d rake in more cash than the firm that built the Edinburgh tram system.

Not only did the unexpected bonus encourage players to be a bit braver on the ball, it also added a bit of resilience.

They were able to cope with Livingston’s second-half revival and start their Championship campaign with three points.

That’s unlikely to have happened under Terry Butcher last term Hibs threw away leads with alarming regularity.

A goal from a goalkeeper is a real collector’s item.

Mark Oxley has only just arrived on loan from Hull City, but he entered Hibernian folklore after just 18 minutes of his debut.

He became the first goalkeeper to score for his new team since Andy Goram did the same thing against Morton in May 1988.

The supporters will be delighted if Oxley goes on to perform as well as “The Goalie”.

Hibs already had a one-goal lead when the keeper struck, but they weren’t having things all their own way. Livingston boss John McGlynn had watched the team in green four times before this game and knew what to expect.

He decided to flood the midfield and make it hard for the home side to dominate possession.

They started with a back three formation that allowed Keaghan Jacobs and Jason Talbot to push forward to stop opposition attacks down the flanks.

That was working well until they exhibited a soft centre and went behind from one of the first set-pieces of the game.

Liam Craig delivered an in-swinging corner and Farid El Alagui headed home from close range.

The cheers were just dying down when Oxley leathered a clearance upfield.

As El Alagui and defender Callum Fordyce chased the ball, Livi goalie Darren Jamieson hesitated for a second.

Allowing the ball to bounce was a huge mistake because it took a big kick off the firm pitch and soared over his head into the net.

Suddenly the home players were finding an extra yard and displaying flicks and tricks that had the opposition rocking.

They couldn’t maintain their dominance after the break, and credit has to go to Livingston for pushing forward and making a real go of it.

Declan Gallagher was first to react and stab the ball home after Oxley had tipped a Keaghan Jacobs shot onto the bar.

Hibs wobbled a little after that but recovered to get the job done.

It’s early days, but Alan Stubbs has already brought a little bit of sunshine back to Leith.