Commenting after the disastrous 3-0 at the hands of Valletta, Hibernians coach Robert Gatt admitted he was well aware that some of his players were out of form.

He added that he will be discussing the issue this week and was ready to introduce more youngsters, who have been knocking on the backdoor, into the side.

Gatt attributed Valletta’s win to the in-form Gilbert Agius who was in unstoppable form on the day.

The Hibs mentor went on to say that he is still confident so long as the chance remains despite admitting that the Paolites now face an uphill struggle. “We had gone through 12 positive results. Some time or another, defeat had to come,” he said.

Even Valletta coach JJ Aquilina conceded that the difference between the two teams was Gilbert Agius. “His contribution makes a difference to the Valletta side,” he added.

Aquilina also admitted to being lucky with his substitutions, but said that whenever he makes a substitution, he always looks at his opponents’ weaknesses and tries to capitalise.

He also praised Chris Camilleri who, in the opinion of Aquilina, gave victory to Valletta by scoring that second goal. “I knew he would make an impact, especially because we were leading 1-0 when I pushed him in,” he said.