Josh Fowler proved decisive in the first half, delivering a two‑goal haul that steered St Johnstone to a 2‑1 triumph over Hibernian and lifted them above their rivals in the league standings. The Perth side’s win marked their second success of the season and secured a seventh‑place position on the table. The opening strike came early, with Fowler finding the net inside the box after just 16 minutes. A well‑timed pass from Taylor Steven, who slipped the ball low from the right, was nudged by Adam Mayor’s heel and fell perfectly to Fowler at the back post.
The striker adjusted to the slight deflection and, using his right foot, tucked the ball past Hibs’ keeper Raphael Sallinger, giving St Johnstone an early lead. Hibernian responded promptly. In the 29th minute, a careless pass from Reece McAlear in midfield allowed Miguel Chaiwa to release Nathan Lowe, who had been on loan from Stoke.
Lowe sprinted into the box and slipped a low, well‑placed shot between Toby Steward and the right‑hand post, restoring parity for the visitors. Undeterred, St Johnstone pressed on and reclaimed the advantage just before the half‑time whistle. Bosnian full‑back Enes Alic surged into the penalty area, drawing a foul from Martin Boyle. The resulting spot‑kick was calmly slotted by Fowler, his fourth league goal of the campaign, into the bottom‑right corner, sending Sallinger the wrong way and sending the home crowd into a brief celebration.
The second half saw Fowler come close to completing a hat‑trick on two occasions, but his attempts were thwarted by vigilant defending and a timely withdrawal in the 72nd minute for tactical reasons. Hibernian, however, pressed forward and created several promising chances. On the hour mark, substitute Kanayo Megwa, who had come on for the injured Grant Hanley, met a corner with a powerful header aimed at the back post. Toby Steward produced a spectacular one‑handed save, keeping the scoreline intact.
St Johnstone’s manager Simo Valakari made a tactical shift, introducing Matty Todd and reverting to a five‑man back line to absorb Hibs’ pressure. The change helped stabilize the defense, though there were moments of frantic scrambling. Hibernian’s substitute Thibault Klidje managed to carve out a decent chance, only to be denied by a well‑timed intervention from his own teammate Ante Suto. Later, Alic again troubled Sallinger with a dangerous run into the box, forcing the keeper into a fine save as St Johnstone threatened on the counter‑attack.
Despite Hibs’ sustained pressure, Valakari’s side held firm, eventually seeing out the match and consigning their opponents to a second consecutive defeat. Post‑match, Valakari praised his team’s performance, highlighting the balance between technical play and physical grit. "It was a good win and an important win.
In the first half we played some excellent football, progressing our passes and were very solid. In the second half we had to show the other side of our game – this grittiness and readiness to put our bodies on the line and block shots. Toby had to make a couple of big saves. Josh is showing that he can score goals at this level.
I have never doubted that – and Josh himself never doubted that. Strikers live for goals and when you score them you get so much confidence," Valakari said. Hibernian manager David Gray, on the other hand, reflected on the disappointment, emphasizing the lack of desire and poor decision‑making that led to the two conceded goals. "The biggest thing for me is the manner in which the first half went for us – again.
It was summed up in the way we conceded the two goals. A lack of desire to stop somebody advancing past you, gambling in the box, guessing in the box. Then a needless penalty that we gave away.
They were poor goals. But the players went to the end and we created a few chances.
I certainly can't sit here and say we deserved to win the game. Back‑to‑back defeats is tough to take, and understandably criticism will be there," Gray admitted. The match also featured a reminder for fans to use the Chrome browser for an optimal video‑player experience, and a promotional note about the Super 6 competition, offering a chance to win £1 million. Overall, Fowler’s clinical finishing and St Johnstone’s resilient defending combined to secure a valuable three points, while Hibernian will need to regroup quickly to halt their losing streak.