Reedijk's Hibs reign starts with narrow defeat at Tannadice

Marink Reedijk lost his first match as Hibernian head coach, 1-0 away to Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday 10 October.

Daniel Bennie struck the only goal in the 35th minute. It settled a William Hill Premiership fixture that kicked off at 3pm at Tannadice Park, according to Hibernian FC and BBC Sport.

United made the running. They had 17 shots, with 10 from inside the Hibs box, for an expected goals total of 1.68, a measure of chance quality. Hibs struggled to live with that pressure at times, and the numbers told the story.

The afternoon got harder for the visitors after the break. Jacob Devaney, the young midfielder on loan from Manchester United, was sent off for denying Neil Farrugia a goalscoring opportunity. Hibs finished with 10 men.

Reedijk is Dutch. He arrived with a strong reputation after guiding SK Beveren to an unbeaten title in Belgium's second tier last season. He replaced David Gray, who preferred a back three, three central defenders. Reedijk went straight to a back four, four defenders across the line, for his first team sheet.

He had tried to set the tone beforehand. Hibs spent the build-up at a "very intense" training camp in La Manga, Spain, according to Hibernian FC. The new shape and the hard running did not bring a fast start.

The Dutchman summed it up bluntly. He pointed to "imprecision and indecisiveness" towards and in the final third. This was the fourth league game this season in which Hibs have failed to score. The defeat left them tenth in the Scottish Premiership table.

For fans, this means a familiar wait for a spark. Reedijk noted that 2,500 Hibs supporters made the trip from Edinburgh to Tannadice. They saw effort, but little cutting edge.

One game does not define a reign. Reedijk has changed the system and asked for sharper decisions near goal. His next chance to show what that looks like cannot come soon enough for those travelling fans.