Hibs: Joe Newell 'not sorry' for Hampden red against Hearts but insists he will learn from flashpoint

Hibs midfielder Joe Newell insists that no one felt worse than he did after his Hampden red card – but he won’t change the way he plays.

The 29-year-old was shown a second yellow card and dismissed by referee John Beaton after a late challenge on Hearts counterpart Peter Haring during the Easter Road side’s 2-1 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat, leaving his team-mates to play the remaining 25-plus minutes with just ten men.

Although Hibs threw everything at Hearts, the Tynecastle side held on to advance to the final.

Reflecting on his sending-off, Newell said it had been a ‘tough week’.

“That wasn't the way I wanted it, but what I would say is that no one felt worse than me after that game,” he continued.

"I was absolutely distraught but I wasn't going to come out and apologise for it, because if I’m not competing, and not being competitive in games, then there is no point in me being out there.”

Newell was criticised by pundits for lunging into the challenge while on a yellow and while he accepted it was a daft decision, insisted he would learn from the incident.

"Was it a stupid tackle? Yeah, to be honest it was. But there was no one more distraught than me. It’s part of the game and a learning curve for me but it just happened to come in a crucial game.

"I was gutted. Hopefully I will learn from it and next season, in these big games, I will keep my cool. I know I messed up and it was a very tough week but there will always be good and bad weeks.”