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Hibs on the brink of history with Conference League in touching distance after Skopje battle – 5 talking points The club have reached the playoff and could secure group stage European football for the first time ever David Gray and Hibs are back on the brink of history after having iced-veins in sweaty Skopje, writes Craig Swan in North Macedonia. The Easter Road side produced a cool performance in melting Macedonia to take the fire out of Shkendija and progress. Gray’s team were agonisingly denied a shot at the Conference League group stages last term with a heartbreaking play-off loss to Legia Warsaw. This term, they return to the final hurdle for a crack at Belgians Gent and the chance to take the club into a Euro group-stage for the first time ever. Hibs got there with a show of professionalism, concentration and discipline. Facing tough conditions and a dangerous home team, Gray’s men answered all of the questions posed with control and composure. In truth, they had chances to win on the night, but a place in the play-offs was the aim and it was mission accomplished. In all aspects, it was job well done. Kicking-off a goal ahead on aggregate, Hibs had to be smart. Mix ambition with caution. And they did it throughout with maturity. Gray’s side built their way into the game and, although neither keeper had a serious save to make before the break, it was Hibs who had a good grip on proceedings heading into the interval. Needing a goal, the hosts emerged after the break trying to lift it with attacker Fabrice Tamba twice shooting off target before proper Hibs sighters. Owen Elding’s flick released Nathan Lowe for a one-on-one, but the striker hit the bouncing ball straight at Shkendika keeper Ferat Ramadi. Elding also missed a strong opportunity with a left-foot shot, but any notion the missed chances would be costly were unfounded. Shkendija pushed harder in their time of need, but Hibs were resolute at the finale and Gray’s men stood firm to now sit potentially 180 minutes from the promised land and a £5 million jackpot. SUCCESSFUL MIX AND MATCH The Hibs manager had made a host of alterations from the first leg at Easter Road into the game with Rangers last weekend and that was a situation which left the Shkendija camp second-guessing in build-up. In the end, the visiting boss reverted back to the Euro set-up. Although there were four changes from the 2-1 triumph at Ibrox, it was the same starting line-up as the opening 90 minutes of this tie in Edinburgh barring one change with Callum Wright, who bagged the winner in Glasgow, replacing Martin Boyle for kick-off in a first start for the club since signing in the summer. The pair would swap in the second-half and ability to bring quality such as the Aussie international and Jamie McGrath during the final third of the match was vital. KEY ASSETS SUPERB AT WORK Miguel Chaiwa and Josh Mulligan are at the centre of transfer talk which Gray had to address prior to the match and their jobs in the middle of the pitch were crucial. The pair are attracting major interest in this window and this was another major opportunity to display their talents in differing roles. Chaiwa anchored in front of the backline, but also came out to stay close to home skipper and playmaker Arbin Zejnullai. Communicating with Jordan Obita over when to pass the Shkendija captain on and when to stick like glue. Zejnullai barely got a kick and went off just after the hour and Chaiwa also dealt with straight-replacement Endrit Krasniqi. Mulligan was disciplined and concentrated and played with an old head. The pair enhanced their reputations again. SPONGY AND PATCHY PITCH Travelling away from home in Europe can bring unexpected issues with surfaces and Hibs had to deal with a tricky surface in Skopje. Gray had remarked on the eve of the game that, although a hot climate is usually equated to a firm pitch, the playing area actually had soft spots. From a high vantage point, it was also patchy prior to kick-off and looked slippery as the contest got underway. Choosing the correct footwear was key. As much as the climate and heat was a problem, it was the same underfoot. Wright slipped inside three minutes to lose the chance of a promising position. It was the same for both sides, but didn’t make life any easier. and Hibs coped excellently. CHERISHED CLEAN SHEET A clean sheet was enough for progress, yet keeping the back door closed had been a problem for Hibs. In the five matches this term leading into the Skopje clash, Gray’s team hadn’t managed to keep one. This was an acid test. Raphael Sallinger had nothing of note to do first-half with Warren O’Hora, Jason Kerr and Obita solid and assisted either side by Felix Passlack and Adam Mayor. Passlack was a serious examination in the final stages from the pacy Kryeziu before going off, but the backline was, in general, excellent and picked a perfect time to chalk up that cherished blank. SHKENDIJA JUST NOT ABLE TO HURT HIBS The worry for the Hibs supporters was that the home team may have more in the tank having shown merely flashes during the opening leg, but their team were more than up to handling them. The National Arena Todor Proeski is a 40-minute drive away from their proper home patch, which is in the town of Tetovo and doesn’t meet UEFA requirements. Yet Shkendija had beaten Slovan Bratislava, FCSB, Ludogorets and Shelbourne in the place last term. But they couldn’t hurt Hibs.