'We know we didn't turn up' - Midfielder insists Hibs will build on Scottish Cup final defeat

Hibs midfielder Joe Newell insists the club will bounce back from the disappointment of losing last season’s Scottish Cup final.

Joe Newell admits the manner of the Scottish Cup final defeat was hard to take

Presented with a chance to add silverware to their highest league finish in 15 years, the Easter Road side were defeated 1-0 by St Johnstone in the final, after losing to the same team at the semi-final stage of the League Cup four months earlier.

Speaking to the Capital club’s website during the pre-season training camp in Cheshire, Newell believes the club is in a good place to build on what he feels was a “good season on the whole”.

"We had a really good year last year but there’s always things you want to improve on,” the 28-year-old said.

“I love these trips away; it’s good for team bonding and the gaffer gets his message across for the season and we speak about what we want to achieve.

“The first ten days of pre-season is always brutal; it’s tough physically and we have the Premier Sports Cup games early on too which you have to take seriously.

“I’m really looking forward to the European games. A few have played in Europe before, but we are all really looking forward to it.”

Newell is adamant that the squad will look to pick up where they left off and will aim to go one better than last term.

“The cup final was a disappointment, but can we win a cup this year, can we do well in Europe, can we finish third or second in the league, these are the things that get spoken about on these weeks away. It’s good for team morale,” he added.

“We know we didn’t turn up in the cup final and because there’s not a game the following Saturday to bounce back, there’s a long wait.

“The campaign on the whole was a really good one, but the cup final leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

"When you take a breath, it was a good season on a whole. There’s loads of us that had really good years, young lads that had breakthrough seasons too.”

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