Hibernian suffered a friendly defeat at the hands of Jupiler League side, Oud-Heverlee Leuven with the decisive goal scored by Gambian striker Ibou on the 72-minute mark, although the team in green created some decent chances and should have equalised in the closing stages.

Leuven keeper Logan Bailly produced saves to deny Ivan Sproule's stinging right-footed shot and David Wotherspoon's full-blooded strike and Hibernian performed better than they did during the draw against Lierse.

Nevertheless there were some encouraging signs and the fact that the team kept plugging away until the very end was a positive. It was a mixed display, but there was some real honesty shown by the team; even when passes were going astray at times.

In all fairness, a draw would have been a more accurate draw because, in terms of possession and attempts at goal, Hibernian were far superior for large chunks of the game.

At the beginning of the match, Hibernian survived some intense periods of pressure cranked up by the home side, Oud-Heverlee Leuven, but a strong defensive performance, expertly marshalled by new goalkeeper Ben Williams, meant the scoreline remains blank at half-time.

In the first half, Leuven threatened to score on a few occasions; most notably when striker Chuka was bearing down on goal, but Williams managed to block his goalbound effort.

That was the clearest opportunity served up by either team in a slightly disjointed first half, although Hibernian's collective passing display improved as the game went on.