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Shkendija name what 'significantly disrupted' Hibs plan as they make 'didn't deserve to be eliminated' claim Hibs’ European opponents have been left gutted by elimination at the hands of the Easter Road team. Shkendija boss Artim Pollozhani claims an injury to a key forward wrecked their plans of progress in the Conference League against Hibs - despite feeling their elimination is a harsh outcome. David Gray’s side from Easter Road gave progressed to the play-off round of the UEFA competition after a 2-1 aggregate win in the third qualifying round. The Premiership team limited the North Macedonian side on their own patch at the Tose Proeski Arena during a 0-0 second draw that sets up a tie against Belgian side Gent for a place in the league phase. Pre-match, Shkendija suffered injury to forward Marko Gjorgjievski, who netted Shkendija’s goal at Easter Road. He had also scored in the second qualifying round against NK Bravo and manager Pollozhani admits it was a fitness setback that altered what they were able to produce going forward. Pollozhani refused to complain in light of that, however, despite feeling an exit wasn’t the outcome his team deserved. What Shkendija player suffered injury ahead of Hibs? He said: “During the final training session—in the very last minutes—our forward Marko Gjorgjievski got injured. In my opinion, this significantly disrupted the plans we had in place, especially for those closing moments. But I have no complaints; I want to commend the lads because I—and we, the staff—believe they played a good match—or rather, two good matches—and didn't deserve to be eliminated. But that’s the nature of football; it’s a beautiful game, yet sometimes it doesn’t give you what you deserve.” Pollozhani also railed against a view that Shkendija failed to create chances in the second leg stalemate versus Hibs. He added: “Regarding the chances, I disagree with the view that there weren’t any. First of all, the team played well and created opportunities—especially in the second half, as the plan was to push forward into the attacking third during that period, something that hadn't happened in the first half. “Crucially, bringing Endrit Krasniqi on improved our ball retention and added depth to our play, while also leading to more crosses from other players. I believe we deserved more from the two matches we played, especially considering we were undone by a 90th-minute goal from a set-piece in Scotland. I think the lads gave their all, and I congratulated them after the match. What was the pitch like for Shkendija vs Hibs? “Naturally, had we converted one of those chances, the game could well have gone into extra time. We are certainly disappointed after the elimination by Hibernian. Of course, it would have been fantastic had we qualified for the play-offs. I believe the team is ready; the focus must now shift to the domestic league, where I think we will perform well. Naturally, the league is the path to where we aim to go—winning the championship title. Once you are crowned champion, you have greater opportunities; if you are eliminated [from the Champions League], you continue in the Conference League, and I think that path is easier.” There were also issues with the pitch in Skopje that Pollozhani didn’t think helped either side. He said: “The pitch wasn't in the best condition. I don't know the reason, but it was noticeable even during yesterday's training session. I don't know why it was like that, but it wasn't in a state that allowed both teams to put in a good performance. I don't know the reason, but the fact remains that the pitch wasn't good.”