Dundee United 0-2 Hibs: Breathing a big sigh of relief

Everyone, boss John Hughes, the players themselves and, not least, the supporters have been put through an emotional wringer, their nerves shredded and faith in their club tested to the limits as a season which promised so much looked like imploding.

Today, though, everyone can breath a sigh of relief, reflect on yet another tumultuous campaign and enjoy a summer holiday content in the knowledge that they'll once again be looking out their passports sometime in July.

Being Hibs, of course, nothing ever appears to be straightforward, not even the prospect of a 2-0 victory over Scottish Cup finalists Dundee United on their home turf at Tannadice, a result which appeared to have confirmed the Easter Road club's place in the Europa Cup only for news to filter through of events at Ibrox.

Having stormed back from four goals down to force a memorable 6-6 draw against Hibs at Fir Park, Motherwell were at it again, down and out against SPL champions Rangers only to mount another storming comeback, culminating in that injury time penalty from Lukas Jutkiewicz (and how easily the on-loan Everton youngster's name has tripped off the tongue over the last few day) earning Craig Brown's team another unlikely point.

For a moment – which seemed to stretch forever – the realisation that one more goal for the Steelmen would consign Hibs to a week of torment, knowing a Hampden win for Ross County on Saturday would wreck that Euro dream once and for all – caused a collective sharp intake of breath until the final scoreline of 3-3 was transmitted from Govan.

While relief flooded through the travelling support, striker Colin Nish, scorer of those two goals which finally saw Hibs over the finishing line, claimed he and his team-mates were oblivious to the drama which was unfolding on the other side of the country.

He said: "We didn't have a clue what their result was, we were too busy concentrating on ourselves and hoping that would take care of it. I didn't even know the score coming off the park until I saw our fans celebrating and realised everything was okay."

As Nish observed, there was little Hughes' players could do other than get the best possible result for themselves and then simply hope Motherwell couldn't match their result, the various possible outcomes which would have seen one side clinch fourth place, and with it the final guaranteed Euro spot at the expense of the other, having been well documented in the preceding few days.

And in a season of melodrama, it was perhaps fitting that Nish, a lifelong Hibs fan, was the player to have scored the goals which finally clinched what was increasingly looking like the impossible dream.

In a week which possibly encapsulated Hibs' entire season, Nish found himself on the receiving end, his ill-judged observation that "only five per cent" of Easter Road fans knew what they were talking about when it came to football forcing him to issue an apology.

But with a hat-trick at Fir Park he proved actions spoke louder than words, only for Hibs to run up the white flag, the draw in what was the SPL's highest-ever scoring game, feeling, as he himself admitted, more like a defeat, a result which, again, left Hibs' destiny out of their own hands.

For someone who has lived in the shadow of Anthony Stokes and Derek Riordan all season, claiming a few headlines of his own with those two goals might have given Nish a quiet smile of satisfaction but, he insisted, he's more than happy to live his life out of the limelight.

And he eschewed the suggestion that it was his goals which had seen Hibs home, saying: "To be honest, I don't care about winning headlines, as long as I am in a team that's winning and I am enjoying my football I am happy.

"Yes, I scored two, but Stokesy has scored 20-odd and Deeks isn't too far behind him so it's a bit much for me to say I scored the goals that got us in to Europe.

"Of course, I was happy to get the goals, that put me on 12 which, for not having had the best of seasons in front of goals, is not that bad."

If he'd been disappointed with his season, Nish couldn't have timed his goals rush any better, a striker criticised at times for not scoring consistently by some, displaying a ruthless streak around the six-yard box both against Motherwell and again at Tannadice. There he was to drill a low shot beyond United goalkeeper Dusan Pernis after just 12 minutes and once more on the spot to drop to his knees after Steven Thicot's cross had eluded Garry Kenneth to direct the ball into the net again an hour later.

Granted the Tayside club were under-strength, boss Peter Houston understandably keeping one eye on Saturday's Hampden showdown with Ross County but also arguing, with some conviction, he enjoys a squad not only of quality but depth, that those he fielded against Hibs were more than capable.

That said, all Hibs could do was beat the 11 players Houston chose to face them and that they did with a reasonable measure of comfort, Stokes passing up an early chance to score before Nish claimed his first and then, again, tamely, firing a shot into the arms of Pernis before the goalkeeper denied Riordan a "Jutkiewicz-style" goal as he got his fingertips to the striker's raging shot from a narrow angle which threatened to go over his head and into the far corner of the net.

While David Wotherspoon took a Garry Kenneth header off his own line, it was Hibs who continued to create the better chances, Riordan forcing another decent save from Pernis before Nish secured the win and missed the chance for a memorable second hat-trick in five days as his attempted chip was gathered by the goalkeeper.

Yes, it may have taken a bit longer than hoped, but Hughes was in no doubt he'd enjoyed a "fantastic" first season as boss of Hibs, the former club captain saying: "I think the boys deserve fourth, we've played some great football and we've always had goals in our side.

"I am delighted for the boys, all the hard work they have put in, for the staff, for the supporters. It's something we can look forward to, we can go away on our holidays and have that wee buzz.

"I've always said that at Hibs we want to battle for third or fourth, to push the Old Firm as much as we can and try to win a Cup, that's what goes with being at this club.

"I'm delighted for the supporters, I walked into Easter Road the other day, saw the new pitch being laid, the new stand going up and let my mind wander, thinking that it would be great if we could play European football here next year, that they'd be swinging from the rafters."

For Hughes, his players and their supporters it's no longer a dream.