Hibs’ midfielder Dylan McGeouch praised the character of his team mates for coming back from a two goal deficit to draw level against high-flying Aberdeen at Hampden Park yesterday.
The Dons, who are likely to finish the season in second place behind champions Celtic took the lead in the 12th second after a mix up in the Hibs defence then added a second from a free-kick midway through the first half.
Derek McInnes’s men looked to be cruising and Hibs’ fans feared a hammering but a change of formation paid immediate dividends and substitute Grant Holt pulled one back before half time before McGeouch equalised on the hour mark.
The influential former Celtic player was then forced to leave the field with an injury and was replaced by Andrew Shinnie.
From them Hibs looked the more likely to win the game until a cruel slice of luck gave Aberdeen a late winner when Jonny Hayes’ speculative effort struck Darren McGregor which wrong footed Ofir Marciano and rolled into the corner of the net.
After the final whistle, the Hibs players received a standing ovation from the 20,000 supporters.
After the game McGeouch told Hibernian TV: “It was an awful start and we gave them two goals and it could have gone three or four but we showed great character to get back into the game.
“The manager made a few decisions and changed the formation a bit which worked in our favour then when we got back into the game it looked like we were the team who were going to get the winner but football’s like that.
“Holty (Grant Holt) coming on gave us an outlet and we could put it long and pay off him and play in their half and get space. “I thought that Holty was great. He scored his goal and set up the other goal and all afternoon he was a nuisance.
“They got a goal and it’s hard to take. The shot was probably going wide and the deflection could have gone anywhere, but overall we did well and we can take a lot from the character we showed to get back into the game.
“Overall it was an entertaining game and the fans appreciated the effort we put in this season, especially the cup run and we have a lot to look forward to. Its a good place to be.
“Promotion was the number one priority and we achieved that last week, now we have to get ourselves ready for next season.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
