TONY MOWBRAY, the Hibs coach, admitted his side settled for a defeat against Rangers as they realised it would be enough to secure a UEFA Cup spot, writes Rob Robertson.
The Englishman said he knew Celtic fans would have wanted them to push forward and try to take a point, but he did not want to risk the heavy loss that could have allowed Aberdeen to pip them for third place.
"It is a strange feeling, as you want to win games, but sometimes you have to look after your own club, " said Mowbray. "I must admit I was surprised Celtic did not get the result they wanted at Fir Park. When either of the Old Firm have to get a result, they usually get it, as they have the quality to do that.
"We were conscious, maybe even for the last 20 minutes, that we were trying to get a result for Hibs.
"It was a strange sensation that we were not chasing the game at 1-0, as that was foreign to us. Many Celtic fans would have liked us to chase a goal but it was up to us to qualify for Europe."
Mowbray also refused to be drawn on whether captain Ian Murray would be at Easter Road next season, with the player believed to have been offered a contract by Rangers.
"We have a number of players near the end of their contracts and we don't want to get into a situation like we have with Ian, where he could walk away for nothing."
Murray himself refused to elaborate on his future, but did deny that the Ibrox club had offered him a deal. He insisted he would make his mind up where he would be playing next season after a summer holiday.
"It is massive for Hibs to get into Europe next season despite the fact we have limped over the line to qualification." he added.
"At the end, both sets of fans had something to celebrate and, although our own fans were moaning we didn't attack for the final 10 minutes, we did what we had to do for our club.
"As for my own future, I will go on holiday and speak to my family and agent before deciding what I will do."
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