Hibs 3 Falkirk 2

Scorers: HIBS: Nish (2), Hanlon FALKIRK: Higdon (2)

COLIN NISH rediscovered his scoring touch with a double after Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen revealed previously undiscovered talents as a film editor.

Nish opened the scoring after just 24 SECONDS and added a second in the first half to make up for last weekend’s glaring miss at Kilmarnock.

The Easter Road striker revealed his confidence had been lifted after Paatelainen showed the team a video of their performance at Rugby Park — and left out his howler.

Nish said: “We watched the video of the game again and I think the manager deliberately took it out. It was the only two minutes of the game we never saw. But you always miss chances like that as a striker and you have to be there to miss them.

“People on the street were asking me what was going wrong, but I was delighted to get the first win. I think we needed that as a team and I needed it personally.

“I should have scored against Kilmarnock and it was nice to get the goals here. I’ve been practising my finishing this week and thankfully it paid off.

“It was great to get the first one so early. Had we held on for a bit longer at 2-0 or 3-1, we’d have won a bit more comfortably.”

Paatelainen was relieved to finally get the three points to stop people harping on about his side’s early-season failings.

He added: “The early goal relaxed the team, but I was just taking my seat when it went in and I almost missed it.

“It was a very positive performance and we created loads of chances. We could and should have scored more.

“There’s more to come from Colin Nish and Steven Fletcher. They are both goalscorers and complement each other up front. They’re still working on their movement and are getting better all the time.”

Hibs, who had only scored two goals in 13 matches including pre-season, could hardly have wished for a better start.

John Rankin slipped the ball inside to Nish, who had time to take a touch and then slip the ball inside Robert Olejnik at his near post.

Falkirk were all over the place in defence in the opening minutes as Hibs swept forward in numbers.

Nish had a chance to play Dean Shiels in but misjudged the weight of his pass and Falkirk scrambled the ball clear.

Then Scotland call-up Darren Barr was caught in possession by Nish, who fed Steven Fletcher, but the striker dragged his shot well wide of target.

Olejnik then had to throw himself full length to cut out a low cross from Shiels after Nish had headed the ball into his path. Hibs were pressing the visitors high up the pitch and not giving their defenders time to settle on the ball at the back.

But Hibs were clearly in the mood. A superb flick from Nish sent Alan O’Brien scampering clear, but Lee Bullen made the saving tackle.

Fletcher then laid the ball off to Nish and his strike partner should have done better than steer his eight-yard shot wide.

Olejnik produced a reaction save to deny Fletcher after Barr had headed the ball into the striker’s path.

O’Brien struck the side-netting after a flowing Hibs’ move ended with Fletcher setting up his team-mate, who should have done better. It was 2-0 after 25 minutes, though, when a deep cross from Paul Hanlon found its way to the back post and the unmarked Nish stooped to head in an easy goal.

Falkirk pulled a goal back just five minutes later when striker Michael Higdon looped a header beyond Andy McNeil’s reach from a pinpoint cross from Gerard Aafjes.

Rankin then had the miss of the match when O’Brien squared the ball and he had time to pick his spot. Unfortunately for Hibs, the spot he chose was wide of goal.

Kevin McBride tried his best to ease Rankin’s embarrassment at the other end when he completely missed his header after Russell Latapy’s trickery had laid on the chance.

Hibs started the second half as they had the first and scored inside two minutes.

Shiels’ free-kick was headed back across goal by Nish and Paul Hanlon applied the finish with a simple header in front of goal.

Fletcher then got in behind the Falkirk defence, but Olejnik was off his line quickly to block his shot.

But Falkirk refused to give up and Higdon pulled a goal back with a composed finish from Jackie McNamara’s through ball.

It was end-to-end stuff now, and Olejnik beat away a 20-yard shot from Fletcher which was bound for the top corner.

Another flowing move saw O’Brien skip down the left and Nish head his cross to Fletcher only for the striker’s right-foot shot to finish inches wide.

Fletcher went even closer moments later with a long-range shot which dipped onto the top of the crossbar.

Falkirk laid siege to Hibs’ goal in the final 20 minutes, but the closest they got to salvaging a draw came when sub Mark Stewart had a chance from a tight angle only to thump his shot against the outside of the post.

Bairns boss John Hughes was unhappy at the goals his team conceded. He said: “It was self-explanatory — you can’t defend the way we did and expect to take something from the game.

“It’s really disappointing. But I’m not having a go at the back four, I’m having a go at the whole team, from the front. To do it twice is a sin and we gave ourselves a mountain to climb.”

HIBERNIAN: McNeil, van Zanten, Hogg, Jones, Hanlon, Shiels (Chisholm 90), Keenan (Murray 74), Rankin, O’Brien (Campbell 86), Nish, Fletcher. Subs not used: Grof, Yantorno, Morais, Canning.

FALKIRK: Olejnik, McNamara, Barr, Bullen, Aafjes, McBride, Latapy (Robertson 71), Cregg, Arfield, Higdon, J Stewart (M Stewart 73), Subs not used: Flinders, McCaffery, Gibb, Staunton, Mitchell.