Paul Hanlon believes Hibs passed their semi-final test with “flying colours” after previous disappointments had many questioning their bottle.
Goals from Kevin Nisbet and Christian Doidge booked a Scottish Cup final place by dumping out Dundee United in today’s semi-final.
After losing previous last four ties to Hearts and St Johnstone, Hanlon and his teammates proved they can handle the big occasion.
He said: “It’s difficult. We had two big disappointments in semi-finals this season and it was a test of character for us today. But I think we passed it with flying colours.
“We’re just delighted to be in the final. We’ll sit back tomorrow and see who we get. I honestly don’t have any preference. We worked so hard to get there and we just want to be as prepared as possible when that day comes.”
It was a deserved victory for Hibs but not without a cost as Joe Newell and Ryan Porteous had to go off injured.
But Hanlon reserved special praise for one player who came in and did the business despite often finding himself out of the team this season.
He told Hibs TV: “Guys like Melker came in after not playing a lot of football and the shift he put in was incredible. He was out on his feet at the end.
“We got a few knocks, bumps and bruises but the boys coming on did a great job as well.
“I felt we could have made it a bit more comfortable on the counter. We had a few 3v2 situations where we could have enjoyed the last ten minutes or so.
“But that’s never the case when you play for Hibs. It’s nail biting until the last minute.”
The squad will now watch tomorrow’s other semi-final with interest but Hanlon stressed that Wednesday’s crunch Premiership battle with Aberdeen for third place must now be the priority.
He added: “First and foremost it’s great to get into the final and the celebrations in the changing room were amazing. All the boys were really together and enjoying the moment.
“But now the focus has to turn to Aberdeen on Wednesday.
“It’s huge but it’s great to be involved in. It’s an amazing end to the season for us. We’ve worked so hard to get into this position now we just want to get the rewards.”
