Shaun Maloney speaks on Hibs sacking and insists he was convinced team was making progress

Former Hibs boss Shaun Maloney has spoken for the first time about his Easter Road exit, which came to an end on Tuesday when he was sacked after just four months in the job.

The 39-year-old succeeded Jack Ross and was appointed on December 20 but only recorded four league wins in 15 games and was relieved of his duties following consecutive league and cup defeats by rivals Hearts that consigned Hibs to a bottom-six finish, and ended their hopes of European football next season.

In a statement carried by PLZ Soccer, Maloney said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to be the manager of Hibernian, a club with such a proud and distinguished history.

“I am disappointed not to have had the time to move the club forward to a position where we could consistently challenge the top teams in the country for domestic honours and European football.

“It was my deepest desire to be able to deliver for the fans a team of which they could feel proud and inspired by.

“Even though the pain of our defeat last weekend remains raw, I was convinced all the more by the nature of the performance and the desire we showed even when reduced to ten men that, given time, we would have achieved this.

“From day one, the players have been a real pleasure to work with and I am grateful for their enthusiasm and commitment to my coaching ideas.

“To the fans, I can only say that I wish I had been able to make you happier more often. I wish you and the team every success in the future.”