Hughes embarrassed after Hibs blow lead

JOHN HUGHES today admitted he'd been left embarrassed and shell-shocked after watching Hibs' dramatic second half collapse as they threw away a four-goal lead against Euro rivals Motherwell.

The Easter Road side were poised to leapfrog the Fir Park outfit into fourth place, putting themselves in the driving seat for the final guaranteed place in next season's Europa League when they led 6-2 with only 25 minutes remaining.

But Hughes, his players and a sizeable travelling support, were left stunned as the Steelmen mounted a dramatic fightback, capping it all with a wonder strike from Lukas Jutkiewicz in injury time, the 6-6 draw the biggest aggregate scoreline in the history of the SPL.

Today Hughes was still clearly bemused by events in Lanarkshire, struggling to comprehend exactly what he had seen as he said: "To score six goals away from home is a remarkable feat in itself but it feels more like a defeat. It leaves you shell-shocked, your emotions are all over the place. You are delighted with six goals, delighted with Colin Nish's hat-trick but it is also a bit of an embarrassment.

"It summed up our season in one 90 minutes, off to a great start but unable to sustain it. We made enough chances last night to win two or three games. Brian Rice (his assistant] actually said to me if I'd told you we'd go to Celtic Park and Motherwell and score eight goals what would I say? I replied I'd have expected six points."

While conceding individual errors had been to blame for some of the goals lost, Hughes blamed a lack of fundamentals, saying: "These guys have been programmed since the age of ten to do the right things, to win the one-on-ones, to battle, but I think one or two of them thought the game was over at 6-2."

While the pulsating draw ended Hibs' run of six successive defeats, it leaves the Edinburgh club with a miserable record of just two wins in their last 17 matches, dismal reading for every fan as Hughes acknowledged. But, he also insisted: "We are better than that (last night's result] and that's the frustrating thing. Through it all we are still playing for fourth place and Europe so for us to be doing that we must be doing something right."

Having had their destiny in their own hands, Hughes now knows his team must better Motherwell's result against Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday when they travel to face Dundee United if they are to take fourth.