David Gray hailed his Hibs side for making sure there was NO Scottish Cup magic at Somerset.

Rocky Bushiri broke Ayr United hearts with his 87th minute winner to send the Easter Road men into the last eight. And Gray – who provided his own cup magic with the dramatic late winner in the 2016 final – was thrilled to get the job done. He said: “I’m delighted to be in the next round. A lot was made when the draw came out about the potential upset and the magic of the Cup, the cameras coming down here.

“Everything about that was geared up for a potential upset and Ayr are doing fantastic in the Championship. We always knew it would be a tricky test. It definitely shows our steely nature. Our character and mentality was questioned this season – and rightly so given where we were and during adversity.

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“There were a lot of questions asked. Not just on this run, but on numerous times this season we’ve come up with the goods. Full credit to the boys for getting the job done. The character of the group is really strong.”

Bushiri got a major pat on the back from his boss. Gray said: “I can’t praise Rocky enough since he took his opportunity coming back into the team. Think back to how his season has gone, he hasn’t played the minutes he would’ve liked.

“But his level of professionalism and attitude every day, to keep going and waiting for his chance he’s really developed into a leader at the back. He’s popped up with a couple of big goals now which is a real credit to him and he really deserves it.”

Hibs announced £7m losses before the Cup clash but Gray said: “There have been conversations about it but it’s more a question for the hierarchy. My full focus and job is to make sure performances on the pitch keep improving because that’s where we’ve been letting ourselves down in recent times.

"The club has been really supportive of me, I go back to the transfer window at the start of the season. The continued support from the Gordon family and communication to me in January as well, the support is fully there. The club is comfortable with it. My full focus is to get the right results on the pitch.”

Ayr boss Scott Brown was left gutted at going down to his former club – but he insisted the close run clash can boost his side’s bid to reach the Premiership. He said: “It was a sore one but I don't feel bitterly disappointed, because the performance level is against a top, top team and if you can compete against Hibs at home or away, you can compete against anybody, especially in the Championship.

“It shows you where we've got to over the last year and we're a happy team at this moment in time. We're in a great place and it shows on the park and it's good with the fans as well, because the fans came out in thousands today.”