Aberdeen needed a wonderful goal from Richard Foster 10 minutes from time to earn a draw against a youthful Hibernian side, who ended up with only nine men on the park.

Hibs manager John Collins made eight changes to the team who drew 0-0 with Dunfermline in the Tennent's Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday, but his team full of teenagers struck twice in the first half, as cool finishes from Damon Gray and Dean Shiels cancelled out Russell Anderson's headed equaliser.

Darren Mackie then saw a 48th-minute penalty saved by Andy McNeil and, although Hibs battled valiantly after Sean Lynch was sent off for a foul on Chris Clark, Foster struck late, before Dermot McCaffrey was dismissed following his second caution of the game.

Hibs could have been for letting their minds wander to Tuesday's replay against Dunfermline, but made a positive start to the game.

McCaffrey may have been shown a yellow card inside seven minutes for a foul on Foster from which Barry Nicholson sent a free-kick over, but the visitors soon took the lead.

Hibs striker Gray, 18 and making his first start, latched on to a terrible attempted backpass from Andrew Considine, to round goalkeeper Jamie Langfield with great composure and roll the ball into the empty net.

Aberdeen tried to retaliate with a 25-yard free-kick from Scott Severin which flashed wide and then a Jamie Smith volley which was tipped over by McNeil.

But from the following corner, Nicholson crossed for Anderson to score courtesy of a well-placed downward header.

Smith then tested McNeil with a powerful drive from which the 20-year-old made a comfortable catch.

However, it was Hibs who retook the lead in the 44th minute, as Shiels took full advantage of yet more hesitancy at the back from Aberdeen.

The striker coolly took the ball past Langfield, who was caught in no man's land and scored from the tightest of angles.

Aberdeen probably expected it would take a strong concerted effort to fashion an equaliser, but within three minutes of the restart a crude challenge from McNeil on Mackie resulted in a penalty.

Mackie side-footed his spot-kick low to McNeil's left-hand side, but the goalkeeper guessed where the striker would shoot and made a good save from a relatively weak effort.

Hibs got off lightly on that occasion, but in the 51st minute they were reduced to 10 men as Lynch was shown a straight red card by referee Stuart Dougal for a high tackle on Clark.

A driving run from Foster then resulted in a low cross which found the feet of Mackie but, just when the forward looked to have atoned for his penalty miss with a bending shot, the ball smacked back off McNeil's far post.

It only took Aberdeen a further six minutes to back on level terms though, thanks to a brilliant strike by Foster.

Guillaume Beuzelin fouled Chris Maguire on the left channel and after Nicholson touched the free-kick into the path of Foster, the Dons midfielder smashed a glorious 25-yard drive past McNeil.

With three minutes of regulation time remaining, Ivan Sproule drew a good save from Langfield and Aberdeen's cause was further boosted when Hibs had another player dismissed.

McCaffrey's second yellow card, this time for a foul on Anderson, saw the Northern Ireland under-21 international sent from the field of play on his Hibs debut.

But despite holding a significant numerical advantage throughout injury-time, the Dons just could not find a winning goal.

Teams

Aberdeen Langfield, Hart, Anderson, Considine (Maguire 46),Foster, Jamie Smith, Nicholson, Severin, Clark (Miller 69),Brewster (Lovell 65), Mackie.

Subs Not Used: Kelly, Diamond, Touzani, Daniel Smith.

Booked: Jamie Smith, Anderson, Maguire, Miller.

Goals: Anderson 25, Foster 80.

Hibernian McNeil, Martis, Hogg, McCaffrey, McCann,Shiels (Benjelloun 59), Lynch, Chisholm, Stevenson,Gray (Beuzelin 59), Zemmama (Sproule 59).

Subs Not Used: Simon Brown, Whittaker, Sowunmi, Campbell.

Sent Off: Lynch (52), McCaffrey (89).

Booked: McCaffrey, Chisholm, McNeil, Hogg.

Goals: Gray 19, Shiels 44.

Att: 9,753

Ref: S Dougal (Scotland).