Dean Gibson believes young Hibs team have given themselves "belief" to reach more cup finals

Hibs manager Dean Gibson believes the club are in a good position to compete for cups more regularly – despite defeat in the SWPL Cup final.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Hibs lost 2-0 at Tynecastle to a Rangers team who have been unbeaten in the league since May 2021. A goal from each half from meant Hibs were unable to win an eight SWPL Cup trophy. However, Gibson believes there are plenty of positives to take from the game, insisting his team come away with more “belief” that they can compete regularly.

“I don’t think many clubs are going to get into finals every single season, everything is so competitive now”, he told the Edinburgh Evening News. “So for us to say we could get to finals consecutively or all the time we would be lying if we could guarantee that. What we have done is given the players belief that we can get here and compete with anyone. We beat Glasgow City on the way here. On another day if we don’t concede the first goal, the game is different. We have got that belief and when you have got that you always have a chance. We are in a good place to be there roundabout more regularly.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hibs beat Hamilton, Kilmarnock and Glasgow City on their way to the final. Rangers proved to be too big of a nut to crack, however, as the young Edinburgh side struggled to break down their more experienced opponents. Gibson was pleased with his defence in particular, especially against opponents who scored ten in their last game.

Hibs recently lifted the Capital Cup after defeating Hearts on penalties in the Edinburgh derby.Hibs recently lifted the Capital Cup after defeating Hearts on penalties in the Edinburgh derby.
Hibs recently lifted the Capital Cup after defeating Hearts on penalties in the Edinburgh derby.

“We did defend well,” he added. “Rangers had a lot of shots, a lot of crosses in the box, but we defended a lot of that well. But we had to do better with the ball. If you don’t and you continually give the ball back to a team like Rangers you are going to get punished. That happened with the second goal more so than the first where we have picked up the ball and lost composure and went long across the pitch. They have picked it up found a pocket of space and eventually a team of that quality is going to get one right and they did.

“We had seven players who are 23 years old and under and three who are teenagers. When we have a squad that young we have to stand back and appreciate what we have achieved and the magnitude that they have just played in. They should also remember the feeling of how they feel right now so the next time we are at the stage we can hope to be a bit happier come the end. If we used the ball better we might have given ourselves a better chance. We’ve got to look at the things we can do well so next time that we are in a final we can use the learning experience properly.”

Hibs will be looking to bounce back next with a win as they face Dundee United in the SWPL next weekend.