Hibs boss Paul Heckingbottom can't wait to get started again and explains Mark Milligan departure

Paul Heckingbottom is raring to go for next season. Picture: SNS

The Hibees took a first-half lead through Marc McNulty but were pegged back before the interval and lost the game when James Wilson struck after the break.

The result confirmed that the club finished fifth in the Scottish Premiership and now focus has switched to next campaign and, having arrived at Hibs in February, Heckingbottom is eager to get started.

"[The] season's finished at the wrong time for me," he said.

"All I'm bothered about now is working our socks off in the summer and get what we can done so we're ready to go.

"I can't wait to get started again. I can't wait to get started again - the wife won't want to hear that!"

On the performance, Heckingbottom stated his delight with large parts of team's play.

He said: "Last week we were disappointed with how we played and I could feel it coming but we can't accept it. But I thought we were outstanding today in spells. At times were were on another level.

"Can we compete with these boys at the top? Yeah but we haven't beat one of them.

"We want to beat these guys because you're not telling me they're a better team than us. They deserve to be where they are because they were clinical today, strong dogged and that's why they were pushing for European places.

"That's where we want to be. We've got nothing to fear, nothing at all. But we got punished for two errors so let's not make any. We have to be clinical at the other end."

The club have already confirmed that both Marvin Bartley and Mark Milligan will be leaving, while there are still questions marks around Stephane Omeonga and Marc McNulty.

The Hibs boss admitted that the decision to allow the Australian midfielder to leave was a "killer" but it presents an opportunity to "change everything about"

"It was a killer for me," Heckingbottom said. "That's one of the two things I've done when I've been managing that hurt. It's tough sometimes.

"You make decisions and people say it's part of the game and it is, but he's a real good bloke and he's done great for me.

"Sometimes it's easy if you sit someone down and tell them why they can't be in your team as a footballer or as a person. He's done great but you have to trust your gut and that's what I've done with. But it was tough that one. It was tricky.

He added: "It's just to change everything about. We've got that opportunity. There's a break in Mark's contract and we just took advantage of that really.

"It's harsh on him but in all honest if I want to recruit something different to play in that position, then that'd be harsh too - keeping him in the building and not playing him."