Hibs clinch Capital Cup in front of record crowd
Dean Gibson hailed a “special” night at Easter Road as his Hibs side won the inaugural Capital Cup against rivals Hearts with a record-breaking 8,066 in attendance.
The Hibs boss did admit he was a little disappointed the crowd didn’t reach five figures with over 13,000 free tickets claimed by supporters prior to kick-off. But it remains a significant step forward for the women’s game in Scotland with the finaltotalsmashingtheprevious record for a domestic women’s game, which was set in the same fixture last season as 5,512 watched Hibs win 3-0 in Leith.
“It's special. Both clubs deserve a lot of credit,” said Gibson, whose team won 5-4 on penalties to claim the trophy after a 1-1 draw in the SWPL 1 match. “It didn't juststartthisseason.itstartedlastseasonwiththegame at Easter Road and then the next one at Tynecastle. The two clubs coming together to showcase what women's football is, it's a huge thing.
“For us to get 8,000 at a Scottish domestic game is just massive. I wanted 10,000. Once we got to the 13,000ticketsalesiwasreally hopeful of getting there. All four stands being open, it felt like a proper football match. I think the fans enjoyed it. The two roars when both goals went in were deafening.”
Heartsassistantbosssean Burt was also delighted with the turnout and reaction from the supporters, particularly the jubilant scenesintheawayendwhen Emma Brownlie scored the opening goal prior to Crystal Thomas’ late equaliser. “Fantastic. I said it all week too. If you give women's football the platform, the stadium, then people will come,” said Burt.