A late leveller could not stop the party atmosphere at HTC, as the wee Hibees lifted the CAS Elite Under-18 League trophy after being held to a 1-1 draw by Aberdeen.
The visitors welcomed Hibernian, who secured the title last week, onto the pitch with a guard of honour at a sun-drenched HTC. Getting underway moments later, it would not take long for Hibs to go ahead.
A free-flowing attacking move saw the Hibees race in front within just 70 seconds. Under-18’s top scorer Dean Cleland wasted no time getting in amongst the goals, firing low beyond Dons goalkeeper Rodrigo Vitols from the edge of the area.
Cooper Masson was the first body in all-red to test Hibs number one Ryan Mallon, with his venomous strike forcing a solid stop from the keeper.
Looking to replicate last week’s exceptional quick start in Ayrshire, Jamie McMurdo looked to double Hibs’ lead on eight minutes — though his powerful shot was held well by Vitols.
Cleland thought he had nabbed his second on 18 minutes after firing low underneath Vitols, but he was sensationally denied by Victor Enem’s heroic sliding clearance on the goal-line.
Aberdeen came close after showing their quality just before the half-hour mark. Sharp team play allowed Enem to cut inside on his left and take aim, however the full-back’s effort curled wide of the post.
On the stroke of half-time, Josh McDonald curled in a tremendous 25-yard free-kick off the underside of the bar to extend Hibs’ lead to two. But it was not to be. Despite the ball crossing the line by some distance, the officials failed to see what everyone else in the ground had seen.
Ellis Clark looked to make an instant impact following his introduction at the interval. Mallon got down low to parry the substitute’s driven dead-ball attempt to safety as the visitors came out fighting in the second 45.
In between a handful of successive chances for Hibs and a bundle of Dons efforts, Cleland became the second Hibee to thrash one off the bar — though this thunderous Hibs effort certainly did not cross the line this time round.
A lull period followed until the Dons equalised on 79 minutes through a sublime free-kick that left Mallon with no chance to set up a frenzied end to proceedings.
The eight minutes of stoppage-time played was littered with chances at both ends. The Reds’ late onslaught was rebuked by a resilient Hibs defence, with Enem taking on the best chance. His excellent whipped effort from range was superbly punched out by an outstretched Mallon.
Despite Aberdeen’s late push, Hibs nearly nicked it at the death as substitute Luke Davidson twisted and turned his way around multiple Dons defenders only to strike the side-netting with his eventual effort.
The chaotic end brought the curtains down on a remarkable 2024/25 campaign for Darren McGregor’s side. The wee Hibees finished the season on 69 points and proudly lifted the CAS Elite Under-League trophy in front of a healthy home support at HTC.
Hibs XI: Mallon, Whittaker, Calder, Gillie, McGrath, Bruce, Cleland, Buckley, Jimenez,, McDonald, McMurdo.
Substitutes: Vautherin, Davidson, McSporran, McNeill, Gallacher, Downie.
