Lee Johnson admits Hibs and Aston Villa gulf in class as Conference League drubbing met with 'pride'

Lee Johnson admitted there was no hiding a £180m gulf in class as Aston Villa dished out a 5-0 battle of Britain drubbing to his Hibs side.

But the Easter Road boss - marking his 500th appearance as a boss - insists he is still filled with pride at the club’s Euro run and insists the financial boost will help them grow to another level. A brutal evening for Hibs saw Villa - dubbed “almost superhuman” by Johnson - kill the tie inside 42 minutes as they raced into a 3-0 lead. The Premier League giants settled for five including an Ollie Watkins hat-trick.

But with another 90 minutes to come at Villa Park next week Johnson said: “First I’m still proud of the club for being at this level on this stage. The reality is we have an English League 1 budget against a fantastic multi-international standard Aston Villa. It was clear there was a gulf in class, I can’t deny that. The bit that disappointed me was that there were moments we didn’t control well enough. We should’ve done better in the first couple of goals.

“There were two or three moments when I thought we should’ve been getting in with a well-executed pass or a run over the top. That demoralised is a little bit and allowed them to grow in football arrogance. It wasn’t like they were absolutely peppering the goal although they were dominating but we were masters of our own downfall.

“But I think we have a really good, honest bunch of players; I trust them and they give their all every day. Premier League players now are almost superhuman in their athleticism. It's the super elite from all over the world. It was a good experience, and I don't think it will affect confidence going into the Livingston game.

“It was also a big financial reward for the club. It is important