Hanlon plays through the pain torackupno. 500
Hi b s c a re t a k e r boss David Gray heaped praise on Paul Hanlon after the captain racked up his 500th appearances for the club – despite needing a knee operation.
Ha n l o n m a d e the milestone outing in the 1- 1 draw with Aberdeen some 14 years on from his debut for the Leith outfit.
And after the game Gray revealed how the defender played through the pain barrier.
Gray said: “You look at Paul Hanlon playing at the moment, it shows you the strength of character of him and what he’s willing to do – putting his body on the line when he’s struggling and needs an operation.
“As far as I’m aware it’s a tidy- up and it’s not too bad.
“At any level it’s great to play 500 games but to do it at one club, he knows exactly what it takes to be successful at Hibs, through tough times and the good times and he’s
an example for everyone at the club – young players, old players.”
Although disappointed not to come away with the victory, Hanlon was delighted to make a landmark appearance.
He said: “You don’t want to look back on these games if it’s a defeat.
“A draw was the least we deserved from the game.
“We had a few chances to win it as well and it was disappointing not to get the three points.
“It would have been great, personally, to get three points in the 500th game.
“It’s great to make the milestone. I knew it was approaching but I’ve had a few niggling knocks and missed a few games this season and thought I might not make it.
“To reach this milestone at Hibs is something I’m really proud of.
“It was a dream for me to play once for this club – to do it 500 times is great.
“Hopefully I’ve got a few more in me.”
Asked about the injury after being forced off in the dying stages, Ha n l o n added: “I ’ ve been managing a knee p ro b l e m t h a t’s been niggling away. I’m glad to get to the 500 and we’ll see how it is in the last couple of games.”
On the game, Gray said: “I’m a lot happier with the reaction to losing the goal.
“That was the big disappointment last week against Livingston; we played really well but once we lost the goal we huffed and puffed, and accepted it a little bit.
“The reaction today was fantastic. The goal we lost, we needed to defend a lot better – it’s a second phase from a setpiece – that wasn’t good enough but the reaction was really good.
“Once we got the goal I felt there was only one team that was going to go on and win the game.”