New Hibs signing Dylan Levitt has vowed to banish the demons of his appalling Europa Conference League exit last season after falling short with former club Dundee United.
The Welsh international was relegated with the Tangerines last season, but even that was not the biggest ignominy of their season. Having qualified for Europe the season prior, the Tayside club faced AZ Alkmaar in the qualifying rounds; and whilst they won 1-0 at Tannadice in a big upset, a shambolic 7-0 defeat in the Netherlands consigned them to a solo domestic season - practically catapulting them into the abyss for a relegation campaign.
But Hibs have been quick to snap him up from their SPFL rivals; joining Lee Johnson's men for a six-figure fee, the former Manchester United midfielder should play a key part at Easter Road. And with Hibs finishing fifth and ultimately securing European qualification for later this month, it marks a second bite at the cherry which Levitt is keen to take.
READ MORE: Liam Boyce and Beni Baningime Hearts returns 'fantastic' as Frankie McAvoy reflects on Plymouth test
Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
Levitt said: “I had Europe last year and that was something I looked straight at when I came here. If you can do well it’s a massive bonus going into the start of the league season," Levitt said.
“The first game comes round so fast and the second comes even faster, you can’t take anything for granted. Having been in that position before, I’ve learned a lot. That was one of the worst nights I have had in football. As a footballer you have to try and put it behind you and move on.
“No-one said a word in the dressing room after the game, no-one said a word on the flight home. We were back in the next day and it was so quiet. I have never been involved in anything like that.
“You can’t let it become a negative. You lose your focus and your confidence is low going into the next game and you don’t know how long it takes to get back up and start winning games. I think everyone was just shocked. A lot of the lads hadn’t been through something like that before and the young lads didn’t know how to turn it around pretty much overnight.
“Last year didn’t go as planned. That’s football, you need to move on very quickly from that. Obviously coming into pre-season everyone has a different mindset and that helps. That’s football, things come around fast. I think third is the aim here. You look at the squad and I don’t see why we couldn’t do it.”
