Ryan McGivern set to make move to Hibs permanent

REPORTS emerged last night that Ryan McGivern has agreed to join Hibernian on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell from Manchester City.

Defender McGivern played in Hibs’ 3-0 Scottish Cup final defeat to Celtic at Hampden on Sunday and is now expected to put pen to paper on a two-year contract with the Premier League side.

There was understood to be interest from clubs in England in the 23 year old, but the reports suggested he has decided that his future lies at Easter Road.

McGivern, who made 25 SPL starts for Pat Fenlon’s side during his season-long loan spell, has been unable to make his mark at the Etihad Stadium. He has also enjoyed previous loan stints with Morecambe, Leicester City, Walsall, Crystal Palace and Bristol City.

Meanwhile, Hibs striker Eoin Doyle has confessed to being tormented by his early miss in Sunday’s final but is adamant he could not have done anything differently with his seventh-minute header.

The 25-year-old was presented with the Easter Road side’s best chance of the 90 minutes when he got on the end of a clipped cross from McGivern. However, the former Sligo and Shamrock Rovers marksman watched on in anguish as Celtic keeper Fraser Forster clawed his header away from the target.

Less than two minutes after Doyle had failed to convert, the Parkhead side were ahead, with Gary Hooper clinically volleying in a whipped cross from the left from Anthony Stokes. Hooper added another before the break and Joe Ledley rounded off the 3-0 win in the second half.

“I haven’t watched the game back and I don’t plan to either,” said Doyle, who is now out of contract at Hibs and has already agreed a move to English League Two side Chesterfield.

“When the cross came in I was running backwards and I had to leap. I remember at the time thinking ‘try and head it back across the goal’, but I just knew when I got up into the air that wasn’t going to be possible.

“So, I just tried to head it and make sure it was on target and get it to the side of the keeper. I managed that but he pulled off a great reaction save.

“Maybe if it had been a different keeper, rather than a world-class keeper like him, then it might have gone in. I don’t think I could have done any more.

“I’m disappointed because it was obviously our best chance of the game. It’s sad to think that they scored a couple of minutes later and if it had gone in it would obviously have changed the aspect of the game.

“Maybe we would have been able to hold on and it’s been playing on my mind since, but I don’t think I would have been able to change anything anyway.”