David Gray admitted that Hibs got what they deserved, after coming up short against Motherwell at Easter Road.
Hibs fell to a 0-1 defeat with Lukas Fadinger scoring the only goal of the game to secure all three points and a fourth-placed finish for The Steelmen.
The result means Hibs finish fifth in the William Hill Premiership and will have to wait until the result of the Scottish Cup final to determine whether they will compete in European competition next season.
Speaking to Hibs TV after the game, Gray admitted he was extremely disappointed with his players’ performance.
“I think clearly you can tell that the disappointment is there for everyone to see because of the magnitude of the game and because of what was at stake.
“I spoke to the players before the game – nothing is handed to you before 38 games, and if we finished fourth, we would deserve it after 38 games.
“Unfortunately, we got what we deserved today. Motherwell were the better side on the day, especially in the first half.
“I thought we were a shadow of ourselves compared to what we wanted to be, and that’s difficult to take because of the cup-final atmosphere around the game today. That is tough to take.
“The second half was better, as you would expect when we were chasing the game a bit. I know there was a red card, which ultimately puts you on the front foot, but I can’t sit here and say we deserved to win the game.
“Over the course of 38 games, I believe you end up where you end up.
I think that’s tough to take because of the opportunity we had, and it’s something we’ll reflect on shortly.”
The result means Hibs took six points from the post-split fixtues, finishing on 57 points after 38 games.
“It is frustrating because our home form post-split hasn’t been good enough either,” Gray continued.
“That’s three defeats at home post-split, and although our home form overall has been really strong, some of that has been self-inflicted with nine men and ten men.
“Within that, though, there were two huge away performances and all the momentum was with us going into today’s game.
“From my point of view, the first half to second half was night and day, and I never changed shape. I know there were a lot of personnel changes, but within that it could have been anyone.
“There was a lack of intensity and aggression to get up to the ball, but the biggest thing – and the bit that was not like us – was the real quality on the ball. Too many times we gave it away, too many times we didn’t take control of the game at all.
“As I say, across the piece, I think Motherwell were the better side and deserved to win today.”
