From elation to confusion in a matter of seconds, Martin Boyle says VAR leaves players spending too much time in the dark.

Hibs' 2-2 draw with Aberdeen on Saturday was littered with lengthy checks that resulted in 14 minutes of stoppage time across both halves, with 10 of those coming at the very end. Boyle's opener was analysed for offside, as was Bojan Miovski's equaliser for the Dons, and play was stopped for several minutes after Emiliano Marcondes struck to cancel out a Jamie McGrath strike that had put the home side ahead.

Hibs were also denied a penalty when Nick Devlin, who scored Aberdeen's first goal, blocked a Jordan Obita cross with his arm. Injuries contributed to the additional minutes, too, with both Miovski and David Marshall receiving treatment, but Boyle maintains that the time spent looking for refereeing errors is 'not ideal for anyone'.

“I had no idea what was going on half the time," said the Hibs winger. "It’s just so stop-start, a bit chaotic. The stoppages are not ideal for anyone, especially when you have 10 minutes at the end.

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“If they’ve made the right call, then happy days. But there’s nothing we can do. We just have to get on with it. It [Devlin handball] has been mentioned a few times. I’ve not actually seen it, and it all happened so quick. If the referee hasn’t gone to VAR, there is nothing we can do, if they don’t see it in real time.

“I’m just looking around, to be honest. The referee just goes off, he’s pointing at his ear. We don’t really know what’s going on.

“I mean, I know they’re checking multiple things that happened before the incident. There’s a lot going on. And it adds up to 10 minutes of injury time, because we’ve been waiting around for five minutes at a time.

“Obviously the goal being awarded is great. We get the goal. If they make the right call, happy days."

A little more communication on-pitch, and for those in the terraces, could go a long way, but Boyle says there's no dialogue between players and officials while checks are underway. And while the Australia international insists he has no issue with efforts being made to reach the correct conclusions, he revealed confusion continues to reign while doing so.

"Nothing," he replied when asked what communication takes place. "We just get told to bugger off. I don’t know what they’re speaking about. It’s just mental. But, if the right calls are being made, fair play.

“The game could play on, things are called back, players are confused. If the right calls are being made, fair play. If mistakes are still creeping in, it’s not ideal."

Nothing, though, can distract from the reality that Hibs remain without a Premiership victory since edging past bottom side Livingston on December 9. A point away at Pittodrie, where they have traditionally struggled, is not a bad result in isolation, but with Dundee coming to Easter Road next week five points ahead of Hibs in sixth, Boyle knows there can be no further slip-ups.

"We need to start winning games," he said. "We can’t afford to be dropping many more points. We’ve got a good game next weekend to hopefully start winning.

“I think the squad is stronger with everyone back from international duty – and we’ve made signings.

“I feel like the manager has a headache now. The squad depth is there. At the moment, the boys are training well, keeping everyone on their toes – if you’re not performing, someone will take that opportunity.

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“I feel like the substitutes have made a real impact over the last few game,s so they’re obviously itching to get that starting jersey. Training will be tough again this week, with all the boys scrapping for that place.”

On a personal note, Boyle has returned from the Asia Cup in fine form, scoring in consecutive matches. After rounding Kelle Roos to open the scoring, he celebrated with a theatrical dive in response to some social media stick he'd taken during the week.

"If you had seen my Twitter this week, you will have seen that I was getting a bit of abuse," said Boyle. "But I like that interaction with the fans. It’s a bit of banter, at the end of the day. It just wasn’t funny when we then concede a couple of minutes later.

“The boys all showed great character to come back. And I’m happy to be contributing to the team again. But, overall, we know we need to start winning games.