After the game, Ian Campbell was full of praise for Hibs but slightly upset with some of the goals his team conceded. He said: "I am obviously disappointed in the end result, but I wouldn’t be too downhearted because Hibs are a good team.

"I don’t think 4-0 was a fair reflection on the game, but they showed clinical finishing and they are a team that stretch you.

"It was disappointing the way we conceded goals on the counter-attack. We went in two down at half time and came out well at the start of the second. They then hit us with another two goals, so all credit to them – they are a good side.

"I was happy with the commitment and the way our team played, but disappointed with the goals. I thought we may have been able to get back into it at 2-0. The third goal was the killer though and they have a very strong defence as well.

"You have got to take your chances when they come along playing against this calibre of opposition and unfortunately on the day we weren’t able to do that. We have a great set of players at Brechin though and our objective now is to get promotion and win the championship.

"When it got to 4-0 we showed good character and tightened up a bit. The last thing we wanted was to be on the end of a hiding, so the players did well in this respect. Hibs then sat back and soaked up what we had to offer.

"Had we got it back to 2-1 we could have had a chance. But they got the third goal on the break which put the game beyond us. We were disappointed at the time because we felt there may have been a shade of offside in it, however it would not have affected the end outcome I don’t think."

Asked about Hibs prospects of going on to win the cup, Ian said: "They are a good young team which can bring inconsistency. However, they play well to their system and have a lot of confidence in their ranks. Tony Mowbray is obviously doing a great job. So yes, I think they could win the cup – hopefully there is not too much pressure on them as Hibernian players though."

Of the 13563 attendance, 944 were Brechin supporters and Ian paid tribute to those who had made the journey down to support the City: "In relative terms, there is something happening with our team at our level. The fans have begun to come out in numbers. A thousand would constitute almost 20% of our population – imagine if Hibs got 20% of Edinburgh here!

"It is all relative, but the players appreciate the support. We have got a game on Wednesday now, so hopefully the fans will be out in force again for that. We have two games in hand and are top of the league, so it is up to us to capitalise."

City goalkeeper Craig Nelson shared his manager’s disappointment at losing: "We were a bit disappointed obviously to lose the game and concede four goals. You can’t take anything away from Hibs; they are a good young side.

"As soon as we lost the first goal, it was going to be a struggle. The better team won on the day.

"Hibs’ players are confident on the ball and skilful – that is very hard to deal with and defend against. They deserve all the praise they have been getting in the media recently.

"For all the pressure Hibs had, and scoring four goals, I didn’t really think I had too much to do. I was surprised I didn’t have any saves of note to make, but that shows how good their finishing was as well – I feel I didn’t have a chance with any of the goals."

Hibs manager Tony Mowbray was full of praise for Brechin and his own team: "We have to give Brechin a lot of credit. They came and had a go and were positive. A lot of lower league teams may have come and been defensive but Brechin were positive and I can see why they are doing so well in their league.

"Our defenders played well today and we scored goals at good times in the game. But they deserve a lot of credit for the way they played.

"Credit to our players as well. They have been working hard in training, and that’s why we are scoring so many goals at the moment.

"Today was a potential banana skin against a team who have only lost one game in nineteen. The tempo, passing and movement by us was good from the first whistle though. The players applied themselves and got the right result."