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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

John McGinn responds to Hibs boo boys after Aston Villa win

John McGinn insists he didn't mind being booed upon his return to Easter Road tonight.

The Scotland international received boos from a section of the home crowd as Aston Villa thumped Hibernian in their Europa Conference League play-off first leg.

The midfielder, 28, spent three years with the Edinburgh club earlier in his career. He played a key role in helping the Hibees return to the Premiership, and of course, was a Scottish Cup winning hero in 2016.

But that counted for little this evening, as he took to the park as a Villa player.

After the match, McGinn was afforded a warm reception by the Hibs faithful. But until that point, he was very much viewed as every other opponent, and the player wouldn't have had it any other way as he admitted to feeling nervous prior to the match.

Asked about the jeers on BBC Scotland, he responded: "Nah, I like that. Listen, it was an important game for Hibs so I'd rather be treated like an opponent, I didn't want that kind of (welcoming) feeling. But I got a nice reception at the end.

"It was the most nervous I've been for a game in a long time - I had butterflies today. It was really strange being in the away dressing room. Obviously we were in it with St Mirren but I had a special three years here.

"Strange to be back but a good result for us in the end."

Aston Villa were on easy street against Lee Johnson's men, as the Premier League outfit cruised to a 5-0 away victory.

Ollie Watkins hit a hattrick, with Leon Bailey and Douglas Luiz also on the scoresheet.

The second leg will take place in Birmingham next Thursday evening, with the tie already effectively over.

At The Herald and Times we know the importance of reaching you where it's convenient, which is why we've engaged top sportswriter James Morgan to bring you an irreverent daily update on what's happening in the world of sport. Be it football, golf, rugby, cricket or something more exotic, James will tread where the best stories take him. To get this bespoke piece sent directly to your email inbox for free every day at 5pm, simply take 5 seconds to type in your email here. It's that simple!

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