Hibs European campaign ended with a 3-0 defeat at Villa Park to a very good Aston Villa side.
Not that exiting the competition was ever in any doubt, but the players were determined not to go into the record books by playing in the club’s biggest ever European defeat and they at least achieved that.
But the real heroes of the night were the incredible fans who cheered the team on from the first minute to the last.
Caretaker boss David Gray made three changes to the side that lost 5-0 to Villa at Easter Road last week with Rocky Bushiri, Christian Doidge and Jimmy Jeggo replacing Will Fish, Martin Boyle and Dylan Vente.
Villa manager Unai Emery made seven changes to his line up, giving four players their first team debuts. But he did leave some of his big hitters including Super John McGinn on the bench just in case.
Despite starting the came five goals down, the travelling Hibs fans situated in the Doug Ellis Stand were in fine voice.
Hibs started on the front foot and Jordan Obita tested Robin Olsen with an angled drive before Elie Youan caused the Villa defenders problems with his speed.
But it was the home side that opened the scoring in the 15th minute albeit against the run of play when John Duran demonstrated his speed to leave a couple of Hibs defenders in his wake and reach a through ball ahead of David Marshall who was caught in no man’s land.
Hibs fought back and both Obita and Youan had efforts which tested the Villa keeper and Christian Doidge went close with a header.
But the second goal also went to Villa when Leon Bailey fired an angled drive past Marshall in the 33rd minute.
Just before the break Obita set up Josh Campbell but his strike was blocked.
McGinn replaced Boubacar Kamara at half time and received a huge ovation from the home fans. And he almost made an immediate impression, winning the ball in midfield and getting on the end of a cross but his effort went wide.
Youan then did well down the left wing, cutting inside and testing Olsen who did well to hold the shot.
Hibs made a double substitution in the 54th minute with Will Fish and Adam Le Fondre entering the fray in place of Doidge and Obita.
Villa made it 3-0 when Marshall failed to hold a free kick and Matty Cash was on hand to fire in the rebound and despite claims for offside the goal stood.
Martin Boyle and Allan Delferriere then replaced Youan and Joe Newell in the 65th minute and Marshall made up for his mistake with a wonder save from Ollie Watkins.
And that was the end of the scoring and the Hibs fans gave a rousing rendition of ‘Sunshine on Leith’ before heading to party the night away in Birmingham.
Hibs : Marshall, Miller, Hanlon, Youan, Newell, Jeggo, Stevenson, Obita, Doidge, Campbell, Bushiri.
Subs Boruc, Johnson, Fish, Vente, Le Fondre, Harbottle, Delferrière, Molotnikov, McAllister, Megwa, McIntyre.
Aston Villa: Olsen, Konsa, Chambers, Pau, Revan, Bailey, Kamara, Douglas Luiz, Tielemans, Kellyman, Duran
Subs: Marschall, Zych, Cash, Diego Carlos, McGinn, Watkins, Digne, Diaby, Dendoncker, T O’Reilly, Feeney.
Referee Luca Pairetto
Attendance 39,467
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.
