LEIGH GRIFFITHS has occasionally been accused of spitting the dummy during his career but yesterday he displayed a more inventive use of a child's pacifier.

The Scotland Under-21 international produced one of the said items from his sock and held it to his lips after scoring the late goal which took Hibs to their first Scottish Cup final in 11 years. Last night the boyhood fan of the Easter Road club dedicated the goal to his children Rhys and Kacie, born to two different mothers, who both celebrate their first birthdays in the next few days.

"It is my wee boy's birthday on Monday and then my daughter's 11 days later so it was just a wee happy birthday to them," said Griffiths, no stranger to making a statement or two with his goal celebrations. "I just stuck it down my sock before the start of the game and when you start running you don't even notice. I almost forgot it was there to be honest with you. I just remembered it when I saw my daughter and thought I'd better get the dummy out."

The winner was struck with a luminous yellow/green boot, a wardrobe adjustment made at half-time after he started the match clad in bright orange footwear. However it went in, the goalscorer will relish the chance to end Hearts fans' jibes about Hibs 110-year drought in Scotland's premier cup competition when the final comes around on May 19.

"The orange ones were new boots, I had never worn them before today and they were just a wee bit too big," Griffiths said. "Luckily I had brought my other ones with me, I might keep them now for the final!

"Obviously being brought up a Hibs fan you get taunted by the Hearts fans, it's 1902, 1902," he added. "Now we are only 90 minutes away from being the first Hibs team in 110 years to do it so I'm very proud. To score at that end, in front of the thousands of Hibs fans is a dream come true."

Others sent out their own statements on the final whistle. Hibs captain and man of the match James McPake pointed to his armband as he sent out his own personal statement to his wife Dawn at full time. "We have had a bad year really with injuries and other stuff so that was just a message to her," McPake said.

Staving off relegation remains a priority – they are seven points ahead of bottom side Dunfermline with five games left – but just maybe the omens are pointing to the end of that 110-year jinx. Hibs had stayed at Crutherland House, in East Kilbride, on Friday night, the same destination where his Livingston side had stayed prior to beating the Easter Road side in the League Cup final in 2004. "I do believe in omens, very much so," said McPake. "Maybe sometimes I believe in them too much, you get a bit carried away. But we will hopefully have it booked tonight for the final weekend already. I was left out that day in 2004, two of us weren't stripped, so it was sweet to come back in my first time at Hampden playing."

The mood in the Aberdeen camp was one of misery and introspection. Rory Fallon, scorer of a spectacular equaliser, said others will have to evaluate their own performances after the team largely failed to click. "I'll take my goal as a consolation – I couldn't have hit it any better," Fallon said. "I know I didn't let the fans down. There's boys who have to look themselves in the mirror today and ask 'did I give 100%?' I know I gave 100% and that's all I can do."