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Manager Paul Hartley and defender Mark Reynolds spoke to the media after our 1-0 extra-time defeat by Hibernian at Easter Road in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

Paul said: “It was absolutely terrific stuff, I’m so proud of the players.

“We went toe-to-toe with Hibs, a team that has aspirations of finishing in the top six of the Premiership.

“They have also brought in a new manager and brought new players in too, but we matched them in every department.

“The performance levels and the quality was excellent, we just got a little bit unlucky that we ran out of legs, a wee bit of steam, in the end.

“A lot of players were having cramp, what an effort they put in.

“The players should be proud too, as should our supporters, the board, everyone connected with our club.

“We gave it a real go.

“We didn’t sit back and I thought we were comfortable at times, our keeper didn’t have too much to do and we were always a threat at the other end.

“We had them worried at times, I can’t be any prouder of that team, they were absolutely magnificent.

“We only had one day really to prepare for the game, so that shows you the quality we have and the attitude of the players, how determined they are to do well and not lose.

“It’s been a long time since anyone beat us in 90 minutes, which I’m also very proud of.

“We have to move on quickly now though, we need to be ready to go again for another tough game down at Dumbarton next week.

“That is the most important thing now.

“We are in a very tough league and even though we have a lead at the top we can’t afford to take our foot off the gas.

“The players need to keep emptying the tank every time they go out and I’m sure they will.”

Paul also thanked the 300 or so Cove Rangers fans inside Easter Road for their noisy backing throughout the 90 minutes and extra-time.

He said: “They were brilliant and I was pleased we gave them something to shout about.

“They were terrific and kept pushing the players on and even though we lost I hope they felt the journey down was worthwhile.

“I hope they all had a safe journey back up the road too.

“I can assure you we will do our utmost to make occasions such as this one a regular thing for them to enjoy in the seasons ahead.”

Former Aberdeen and Dundee United player Mark made his debut as a second half substitute.

Mark said: “To a man, the boys were incredible.

“It showed the sort of levels they have been playing at this season, and the ones before since stepping up into the SPFL.

“I knew I was coming to a squad containing some really good players, but it’s only when you are out there in battle with them that you see just how talented they really are.

“It’s different when you are watching boys on match highlights and short clips here and there.

“When you are actually out on the pitch, right in amongst them, that’s when you really see what they are all about.

“That’s when you see the energy they have, how much running they do and also their ability, the deft touches on the ball and their movement.

“I’ve spent the majority of my career playing in the top league in Scotland and we have loads of players in our squad who could easily do a job in there.

“If we had managed to hold on for a few minutes more we would have taken them to penalties, which I feel would have been deserved for all the hard work everyone put in.

“We could have won it then because everyone knows penalties can be a bit of a lottery at times, so it’s a huge disappointment that we lost the goal near the end.

“But there’s lots of positives we can take from the game.

“The effort everyone put in, over the whole 120 minutes, was amazing.

“We also restricted the chances created by Hibs and had one or two very good ones of our own.

“It was a brilliant when you consider they are a well established Premiership side while Cove were playing in the Highland League just a short time ago.

“It was only my first game, but it was enough to show me why we have good reason to feel positive about what lies ahead of us for the rest of the season.

“If we keep performing as well as that in our own league then we will be hard to beat.”

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