Jack Ross wants Scottish Cup triumph after top-four finish

Hibs secured European football with a 2-1 win over Livingston.

Jack Ross wants Scottish Cup triumph after top-four finish SNS Group

Jack Ross insists Hibernian want more despite securing a top-four Scottish Premiership finish and European football with victory over Livingston.

First-half Kevin Nisbet and Martin Boyle goals were enough to see off the Lions in a 2-1 win.

The visitors improved after the break and scored a late penalty through Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.

Hibs are now guaranteed at least a place in the new Europa Conference League as they cannot be caught by Livingston.

However, head coach Ross admits the celebrations are on hold as he wants to seal third spot and win the Scottish Cup.

He said: “We’ve secured top four tonight, which at one point we might have been lauded for. But it kind of goes under the radar, even from me.

“I’ve not really talked about it inside because we’ve been there all season and we want to win the Scottish Cup.

“So I’m sure, in the fullness of time, we’ll sit back and reflect, say we’ve already done good things this season. But we want more.

“It’s incredible how qualifying for Europe is not something we’ve even spoken about tonight.

“It’s only now, as I’ve come out, that I realised it. That’s just about how we’ve pushed to improve the ambition of this team.

“What they’ve done already is good and they deserve credit for it. But we want to achieve something that is very good – and we have the opportunity to do that.”

Livingston manager David Martindale took responsibility for a poor first-half display that saw his team trail 2-0 at the break.

He said: “The first half killed us. We gave away a cheap goal, albeit a good goal from a Hibs perspective.

“I think the shape – or the personnel within the shape – killed us.

“I got that wrong, I got the starting XI wrong, the shape wrong in the first half.

“I tried to change that in the first half but by that point it was too late.

“I got the boys in at half-time, told them in no uncertain terms what I was looking for, changed the shape, changed the personnel and in the second half they deserve massive credit.”

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