'Hibs faced an old-fashioned cup tie that was part banana skin, part tank trap - and kept their footing ...'

Tight old-fashioned ground, pyros turned up to 11, local opposition bristling with menace. If ever an occasion was tailor-made for a proper Scottish Cup upset …

That Hibs managed to squeeze through at Somerset Park last night should not – and surely would not – be treated with anything but joyous relief on the part of fans. There certainly weren’t many in the travelling support of 3064 (thanks to the Ayr United announcer for the very precise headcount) who would consider this as anything other than a triumph of the Hibernian spirit.

Loudly singing the name of match-winning hero Rocky Bushiri, with the odd chorus in appreciation of gaffer David Gray thrown in, the away fans being slowly herded off the terracing at the end of this slightly odd encounter – a game low on drama for so long yet overloaded with the stuff when it mattered – could already begin looking towards the quarter-finals. The benefits of a Friday night tie being, of course, that they can now sit back and watch everyone else scrap for a place in the last eight over this long weekend running into Monday night.

“Exactly that,” said a relieved Gray, the former Scottish Cup-winning captain adding: “It's great to be in the next round. That's the most important thing. There's obviously a lot of ties to be played over the weekend.

“But as far as we're concerned, we'll find out who we get. We'll look forward to the draw and take it from there.”

That Bushiri should be the one to pop up and score the decisive goal is, of course, no surprise. The big man seems intent on playing a heroic role in this season of extreme emotions.

Do they have vultures in Ayrshire, incidentally? Because there were a few ravenous looking carrion birds circling with greater intensity, the longer this went on.

With all due respect to Scott Brown’s Ayr United, though, it felt as if the biggest danger to the visitors lay in them simply sleep-walking into a shock. The home fans singing about “Hibs falling apart …” were doing so more in hope/habit than any great conviction, given the balance of play.

And, just when Gray’s men looked as if they’d be dragged towards the frozen misery of extra time, the introduction of Kieron Bowie seemed to change a great deal. His ability to hold up play, further menacing defenders happy to see the back of Myko Kuharevich’s physicality and threat, gave Hibs a platform on which to build.

So, yes, it was only 1-0. And the goal didn’t come until inside the final five minutes of regulation time. But it felt like it was coming on balance of play.

“Yes, I thought he did well when he came on,” said Gray, on the impact of returning marquee signing Bowie, the boss adding: “I've said it numerous times, he's a real physical presence up front. His attitude, the way he holds the ball up, he's difficult to play against because of that.

“And I think he gets the flick on for the goal, so he was the one that flicks it on. He's done exactly what you want your subs to do in games like this, which is to come on and try and make an impact in the game.

“There's a lot we can be better in. When you start to strip it back and you look at the game and how we played in the game and decision-makings and errors within it, they're always going to be that way. But it was very much job done tonight, so I'm delighted for them.”

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Despite the spanking new stand opposite the old main structure, Somerset Park remains a real throwback venue, with generations of Woodbine smoke and wintergreen still embedded in the rafters. In an age when we’re constantly invited to marvel that the latest new super-arena, there’s a definite charm in visiting this sort of ground; a charm that may become a more regular occurrence for the biggest clubs in the country, given Ayr’s position at the top of the second tier.

For Hibs fans who had snapped up the healthy away allocation, it was a grand enough old place for a night out. A cold night, mind. But one that ended with warm feelings all round.

That the game itself was no classic hardly matters. At a club where the Cup will always be special, these are the sorts of away days/nights that become part of folklore, enabling the lucky few to pepper their war stories with plenty of “I was there …” moments.

Gray speaks frequently about how winning a trophy should be an annual ambition for Hibs. He’s spoken, too, about the belief that carried him and his team-mates all the way to a moment of historic importance at Hampden in May of 2016.

Nobody thinks that beating Ayr United away in the last 16 of this year’s competition represents anything other than a solid step in the right direction. Given the number of punters and pundits who identified last night’s tie as something between a banana skin and a tank trap, however, Hibs deserve no little credit for maintaining their footing.

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