John Hughes denies Hibs players had punch-up after cup exit

HIBERNIAN's season plunged deeper into crisis last night as they suffered a dismal 3-1 Co-operative Insurance Cup exit at Kilmarnock, with beleaguered manager John Hughes forced to deny radio reports of a dressing-room punch-up between his players after the game.

• Hibs manager John Hughes is feeling the strain after last night's defeat

Kilmarnock will be joined in this afternoon's quarter-final draw at Hampden by Celtic, who thrashed Inverness 6-0 thanks chiefly to a Georgios Samaras hat-trick, Aberdeen, who beat Raith Rovers 3-2, and Dundee United, who won 2-1 against Ross County after extra-time.

But Hibs' hopes of silverware this season are now confined to the Scottish Cup and last night's cup exit has placed Hughes under renewed pressure from disgruntled fans, who voiced their displeasure after Mixu Paatelainen's superior Kilmarnock side cancelled out a Jonathan Grounds opener with a double from Jamie Hamill and a third goal from David Silva.

Hibs' dispiriting start to the season has brought only one win from eight games, and the Easter Road manager did not attempt to laugh off the personal abuse, but seemed bemused by BBC Scotland's claims that a steward had make his way into his team's dressing room to separate squabbling players.

• Match report: Kilmarnock 3 - 1 Hibernian

"I tell you right now there was no punch-up in the dressing room, no fisticuffs or anything like that," he said on the incident. "There were one or two raised voices and we soon put a stop to that. But there was certainly no fisticuffs. It's part of everyday life at a football club and everyday life in a dressing room. What I saw in the dressing room after the defeat was boys who are hurting and caring and that is a good sign."

Hughes did not express hurt but defiance over the personal abuse meted out to him. "I'm not being stubborn here but I'm be back to work tomorrow to make sure I get it right," he said. "It is about the football results. It'll turn. We just need to keep sticking together. Football is all ups and downs. Last season we were all this and that when we were finishing fourth and getting into Europe for the first time in six years."

Hughes said that "anyone who knew football" would recognise his team had "enough chances" to win a tie they squandered a 1-0 lead in courtesy of slipshod defending, Francis Dickoh guilty of a needless trip that provided the home side with the penalty that secured them the lead 20 minutes from time. Asked if results needed to turn soon for his own sake, Hughes snapped: "What month does the season end? May. What month are we in? September. If we finish fourth again what will you write then?"x