Former Bolton Wanderers loanee Christian Doidge scored his first competitive goal for Hibernian this afternoon as they beat Alloa Athletic 2-0 in the Betfred Cup.
The 26-year-old Welsh hotshot joined the Easter Road club from Sky Bet League Two outfit Forest Green Rovers in the summer for a sizeable six-figure transfer fee.
Frontman Doidge had a couple of half-chances to put Hibernian ahead in the first half of their home tie against Alloa Athletic, the second match of the Betfred Cup group stage. The physical forward struck a shot straight at visiting keeper Neil Parry before heading well wide after getting on the end of a corner kick in a goalless first 45 minutes.
Hibs boss Paul Heckingbottom opted to keep faith with Doidge for the second half, instead sacrificing fellow striker Florian Kamberi for midfielder Scott Allan and it proved to be the correct decision from the former Barnsley and Leeds United manager.
Doidge went close to opening his Hibernian account 12 minutes into the half when teammate Martin Boyle headed the ball towards goal but he couldn’t quite get the necessary connection on the ball to beat Parry.
The striker was to get his big moment though, and when Fraser Murray lofted a lovely ball over the top, Doidge was there to latch onto the pass and bundle the ball into the back of the net.
It almost got even better for Doidge late on when he had the ball in the back of the net for a second time but the linesman’s flag denied the player a brace.
Former Yeovil Town defender Tom James’ stunning strike from the edge of the box sealed the 2-0 victory for Hibs who now look forward to their next Betfred Cup fixture against Arbroath at Easter Road on Tuesday evening.
