Hibernians coach Mark Miller said that the match’s turning point was Hamrun’s goal in the second half because they knew that trailing by four goals with a man down, was never easy to avoid defeat.

Still, because football is a funny game, they could have clinched a draw by the end when Hamrun died down and must have been extremely happy to hear the final whistle.

Speaking about Hibernians’ disastrous first half, Miller said that he was disappointed with the way his side’s performance shifted so drastically throughout the 90 minutes.

“We were sloppy and careless in the first half, but then switched on and played the better football after conceding four goals”

Commenting about Adrian Pulis’ sending off after 36 minutes, Miller said that the red card was harsh. Pulis had no bad intention and the referee should have taken into account the conditions of the pitch (the slippery surface) after the heavy rainfall. But perhaps Pulis’dismissal served Hibernians well because they showed more determination to fight back.

Hamrun Spartans coach Steve D’Amato was happy with his side’s win after two defeats and less concerned about the final scoreline. He said that Hamrun were the more determined side and went all out for a win, although it was never expected that they would suffer so much towards the end.

D’Amato was the first to admit that conceding the 4-1, through a defensive blunder, really put the morale down and from then on, the only thing his players did was to defend deeply, awaiting the final whistle as Hibernians poured in one goal after another.

“This was the best Hamrun performance by far,” he said.

“But we became too complacent after a four-goal lead and after that defensive mistake, tiredness crept in and we panicked.”

But D’Amato gave credit to Hibernians who kept believing at that point.