PROBLEMS are bound to arise and mistakes will almost certainly be made as Scottish football gets to grips with new technology in the weeks and months ahead.
But so VAR so good.
The Hibernian match against St Johnstone in the cinch Premiership at Easter Road tonight made a little bit of history – it was the first domestic fixture in this country to have the video assistant referee system in operation.
There are fears that it will slow games down and kill atmospheres. But nothing could have been further from the truth this evening. It was a hugely encouraging start which augurs well for the future.
There was, even though every top flight game this weekend will have it in place, increased interest in the encounter because VAR was making its debut.
Ben Kensell, the Hibs chief executive, predicted earlier this week that the capital outfit’s largest home crowd in over 30 years would file through the turnstiles. Sure enough, a total of 20,010 people turned up.
Not since Hibs beat Hearts 1-0 in the Edinburgh derby thanks to an Eddie May goal way back on January 4, 1989, in front of an attendance of 27,022 have so many supporters seen them in action in Leith.
The giant screens at the corners of the pitch displayed graphics in the build-up to kick-off which explained when VAR would be used and how it would work.
It took just over seven minutes for it to come into play.
When Hibs forward Martin Boyle went to ground in the St Johnstone penalty box after making contact with Alex Mitchell referee Kevin Clancy was unimpressed. He immediately booked the player for diving.
Clancy’s colleagues had soon confirmed his suspicions after watching a replay and the action, after a roar of approval from the stands, continued.
Hibernian suffered a 6-1 hammering at the hands of Celtic at Parkhead last Saturday and David Marshall and his team mates were keen to put that embarrassing reverse behind them.
But Lee Johnson’s side had been on a decent run of form before their journey to the East End of Glasgow – they had won four of their previous five league games and moved up to third place in the table.
Johnson made three changes to the side which had taken to the field six days earlier – Marijan Cabraja, Rocky Bushiri and Kyle Magennis came in for Lewis Stevenson, Nohan Kenneh and Harry McKirdy – and his men were quickly onto the front foot.
Boyle had a shot blocked by Andrew Considine and Remi Matthews saved well from Mykola Kuarevich. Those chances very much set the tone for the first-half. The visitors, who were just a point off bottom spot, offered next to nothing going forward.
Hibs finally forged ahead in the 35th minute when Chris Cadden whipped a cross into the St Johnstone area. Kuarevich rose above Liam Gordon and headed just inside the left post.
It was the 6ft 4in striker’s first goal since arriving on loan in Troyes in France. It is unlikely it will be his last. The Ukrainian once again impressed.
All goals are checked by VAR. There were boos around the ground when it was announced that process was underway and cheers when it was confirmed the strike would stand. Done properly, the system can improve the spectacle.
Friday night games are often raucous affairs and that can be no bad thing. But flares and smoke cannisters were set off by both sets of supporters before and during the game and one was thrown onto the field of play after the opener. More must be done by clubs and the authorities to snuff this prevalent problem out before somebody is badly hurt.
St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson needed to make a change at half-time to get his side back into the game and he did so. He took off Adam Montgomery and put on Stevie May up front alongside Nicky Clark. The substitute tested Marshall shortly after taking to the field.
Boyle, Bushiri and Magennis, who was making his first start in over a year, all went close to adding to Hibs’ tally thereafter as the hosts continued to dominate.
But when Magennis was red carded by the match official for a second bookable offence with 20 minutes remaining it gave the away side hope. Would the home team’s missed chances come back to haunt them? They certainly would.
Clark levelled soon after Hibs had been reduced to when he got on the end of a Melker Hallberg corner and nodded beyond Marshall. May gave them the lead with eight minutes remaining when he met a Connor McLennan delivery. His effort ultimately clinched victory.
It was an incredible fightback and triumph by a side who had struggled to get out of their own half in the opening 45 minutes.
