Newell confident Hibs will bounce back after European loss to minnows

Joe Newell has promised a drastic improvement next Thursday as Hibernian bid to overturn an embarrassing 2-1 first-leg defeat in their Europa Conference League qualifier against Andorran side Inter Club d’Escaldes.

Hibs have been heavily criticised in the wake of one of the most humiliating results in their history on Thursday.

The only consolation from a dire trip to the principality in the Pyrenees is that Newell scored a stoppage-time goal to reduce the Edinburgh side’s deficit ahead of the second leg at Easter Road.

“I’m fully confident we’ll bounce back and turn it around,” said the midfielder.

“I’ve got 100 per cent confidence. We know what they’re like now. We know what test they’ll bring.

“They’re obviously not going to roll over, I’m not saying we’re going to go back to Easter Road and win 3-0, it’s going to be a very tough game.

“We know what to expect but I know for a fact we won’t be as bad next week, especially in terms of tempo, aggression and intensity when we’re playing at home.”

While acknowledging Thursday’s result was unacceptable and that Hibs deserve all the criticism that has come their way, Newell is confident that victories in their next two matches will lift the gloom.

“It’s half-time, if we win next week and get through, and we win the first game of the season at home (to St Mirren), it will be forgotten about,” he said.

“We’ve just got to dust ourselves down. We can’t just brush it under the carpet though, we need to learn from it. We need to have a look at where we went wrong and why we didn’t implement our gameplan and then go again.

“There can be no excuses for it. It was windy (in Andorra) but we play in Scotland so there’s no excuses there.

“I’m not going to sit here and give any excuses. The better team won on the day. They deserved it, but it’s half-time, isn’t it?”

The Andorrans’ second goal came after a terrible error from David Marshall but Newell is adamant the Hibs players are of no mind to point the finger of blame at the veteran goalkeeper.

“David came in and held his hands up and said ‘sorry lads, that was my fault’, but these things happen,” said Newell.