Hibernian head coach Marink Reedijk has admitted he became emotional watching back his side's celebrations after their Premier Sports Cup semi-final win over Hearts, and he believes the atmosphere at Hampden exceeded that of Feyenoord's famous De Kuip stadium in the Netherlands.
Reedijk, who took charge at Easter Road in September, became the first Hibs manager to beat their city rivals at the national stadium, coming from a goal down to defeat Wouter Vrancken's team 2-1. The victory was followed by a 4-0 thrashing of Aberdeen at Pittodrie, a result that ultimately cost Dons boss Stephen Robinson his job.
Emotional scenes at Hampden
The 34-year-old said he was moved by the post-match rendition of Sunshine on Leith from Hibs supporters, and he later told his players to enjoy the celebrations by opening beers in the dressing room. Speaking in an interview in his homeland, the former SK Beveren boss praised the Leith faithful and expressed confidence they can lift their first major trophy since 2016 by beating Rangers on December 13.
"There is a passion here that is actually indescribable. I was talking after the game about how the players can now be an inspiration themselves. That's why I said, 'I want music, I want beer.'"
"And now you see that everywhere now, on caps, T-shirts, and scarves! You can tell from everything how much it meant to the people."
Atmosphere comparison
"Of course, on the pitch I thought, 'wow, this is beautiful.' But at that moment, you are still completely immersed in the match. It wasn't until I saw the footage back that I realised how special it was. That's when I got teary-eyed, too, yes."
"You feel the intensity at Feyenoord's De Kuip too, but the atmosphere at Hampden is really next level. The noise is so impressive. You stand on the sidelines trying to reach your players."
"Sometimes you succeed, but mostly you are just standing in the crowd shouting. There was a lot of frustration among the supporters. The last trophy dates back to 2016. And then we qualified for the final by beating our big rival. So everything came together that day."
"We played Celtic recently. We lost, but we made it incredibly difficult for them. We can beat anyone. We showed that against Hearts. We know we can do it."
Reedijk noted that around 250,000 people celebrated in the city following Hibs' previous Scottish Cup win, adding: "That says it all about this club. Hibernian is truly in the hearts of the people here."
