What Paul Hanlon told Hibs stars immediately after Hearts derby defeat as captain demands Scottish Cup reaction

Paul Hanlon led the latest post mortem inside a Hibs dressing room that once again hadn’t stepped up to the plate.

The raw hurt from a capitulation in the Edinburgh derby which consigned them to a bottom-six end of season going through the motions was clear.

That this humiliation happened at the home of their city rivals only compounded a situation which the Easter Road skipper wanted his team-mates never to forget.

After building an early platform to get the result they required to ensure a top half of the table spot, Shaun Maloney ’s men crumbled to defeat which ensured a navel gazing few moments in the aftermath.

Hanlon admits he addressed his squad and urged them to suffer in the moment and use that pain as the catalyst to make sure there’s no repeat when the two sides go to war again for this Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.

He said: “I just spoke there and said that we need to suffer a bit. I especially want the younger lads who are here to feel how sore it is so we know how big next week is.

“We need to come to the middle of this week and really focus on what we need to do better going into the semi. If we are going to win that one we need to be a hell of a lot better than we were today.

“It can obviously put us in a cup final which would be nice to be back there again. In terms of the league campaign, it’s disappointing. It’s not where we wanted to be.”

It had all started so well for Hibs after Drey Wright squeezed a shot into Craig Gordon’s far corner via a deflection off a Hearts defender’s leg and for 20 minutes the Leith side were in command.

Winning challenges, picking up second balls and playing inside the Hearts half and then all of that good work went out the window.

Slowly but surely