McDonald On 'Unbelievable' Late Comeback Win

Hibs U19s midfielder Josh McDonald is delighted to have played a key role in his side's "unbelievable" late comeback victory over St Mirren.

The wee Hibees trailed after going behind on 75 minutes to a close-range Lewis Hodgkiss strike, though Jamie McMurdo would equaliser in the 89th minute with a lovely solo finish. 

With 93 minutes played, a passing error from the St Mirren goalkeeper allowed McDonald to coolly seal the victory with a smart lobbed finish and push Hibs to the top of the CAS Elite U19 League table.

Speaking to Hibs TV after the match, the ecstatic midfielder revealed the team were told to "relax" at half-time and that cooler heads would prevail come full-time. 

"It was absolutely unbelievable, especially after we were 1-0 down with not long to go.

"It was just great resilience from every single person to get a goal back and then score at the last minute again, it was fantastic. 

"The message was pretty much 'just relax, keep it the same' [at half-time]. I thought we had the better chances in the first half.

"So it was just talking about keeping the composure in front of goal and obviously with the build-up and how to stop them playing out. 

In recent weeks, McDonald has trained with David Gray's First Team at HTC after continually impressing in McGregor's U19s squad.

"(The last few months) have been very good. Obviously, before that it was a bit tough coming back from a hamstring injury - I was out for about six weeks with that.

"I feel like ever since I've came back, I've just been very hungry to keep improving. And then obviously getting to train with the First Team is excellent as well."

While three crucial points were all that mattered on the day, the league encounter did also serve as a preview to next month's CAS Elite U19 League Cup Final.

The anticipated final will be the fifth competitive meeting between the two teams this season, with McDonald relishing the opportunity to do battle once again with silverware on the line.

"It's just good to get an idea of what they'll be like and how we're going to approach the final.

"I'm absolutely buzzing for it and I'm sure it'll be a fantastic game."