Hibernian FC

Hibs Captain Paul Hanlon was pleased with his teammates' competitive spirit and desire as the Hibees got back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. 

Goals from Emiliano Marcondes, Dylan Vente and Paul Hanlon himself secured the victory on the road, in what was an excellent team performance from start to finish.

Hanlon started on the bench but was introduced into the action midway inside the first half after Will Fish was forced off due to injury. 

Speaking to Hibs TV after the match, Paul admitted how happy he was to be back on the pitch and to contribute to an important win. 

“It was great, I absolutely loved being back out there. I have had to be patient this season in terms of getting minutes, and I have needed to be as ready as I can when called upon. 

“I got the shout today to go on and it was great to contribute to a good win.”

Marcondes opened the scoring with a free-kick from 30 yards out before Hanlon swept home a second – his 28th goal for the Club in 561 appearances. 

“I was delighted to get the goal, I flicked on the initial long throw and the ball fell back to me and I managed to tuck it away. The goal was an added bonus in what was a big win for us.

“In the second half, we sat a bit deeper and we looked dangerous on the counter-attack. The first half was a wee bit sloppy; we could’ve been more composed on the ball but on another day we could’ve added a few more goals.”

After a disappointing run of results in recent weeks, Hanlon was pleased with the reaction from his teammates this afternoon. 

“Obviously there were a few question marks around us going into the game about our mentality and what it would be like going into the game – I think we answered some of those questions today.

“We’ve tried our best to lift the spirits in the last couple of weeks, and have tried to enjoy training that bit more – but there is nothing like winning a game of football on on a Saturday. We knew how important this game was not only for ourselves but for the fans as well to send them home happy after a good win.

“The only disappointment was not keeping a clean sheet as that would’ve been the cherry on the top.”