Logan Jimenez and his Hibs Academy teammates opened their pre-season campaign with a gritty 2-1 away victory over Musselburgh Athletic.
With the path to the first team wide open, Academy coach Darren McGregor was forced to name an even more youthful Hibs XI for the trip to Olivebank Stadium.
Key starlets Lewis Gillie and Zach Bruce were both absent due to their involvement with Stranraer, while under-19s captain Joseph McGrath was away on senior duty with David Gray's first-team squad.
Yet, the Easter Road youngsters rose to the occasion in East Lothian, showcasing plenty of resilience to edge past their Lowland League East opponents.
After a fiercely contested, goalless first half, the match exploded into life in the final quarter of an hour.
In the 67th minute Hibs finally broke the deadlock when Reiss Downie found space to fire the visitors ahead.
In the 75th minute the hosts struck back just eight minutes later, with Jonny Court leveling the scoring to set up a grandstand finish.
With the match seemingly destined for a draw, Hibs' late pressure paid off. In the final minute of regulation time, Josh McDonald popped up in the box to smash home a dramatic winner, ensuring McGregor's young side started their summer schedule on the perfect note.
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