Gray Delighted As Hibs Confirm Third!

David Gray heaped praise on his players as Hibernian FC confirmed a third-place finish in the William Hill Premiership.

His side drew 2-2 with St Mirren, in what was an action-packed game at the SMiSA Stadium.

When speaking after the game to Hibs TV, Gray expressed his immediate pride.

“I’m delighted; the players thoroughly deserve it. I’m delighted they’ve got over the line with a game to spare too.

“At this stage of the season, the league table doesn’t lie. I probably didn’t say that after 12/13 games because of the start we had, but that makes it all sweeter coming through that adversity, and it really brought the group together.

“The players thoroughly deserve it. I’m delighted for absolutely everyone; the staff, the club, the players – they take all the credit for it. I think we deserve it.”

Hibs have had a miraculous turnaround this season. They were bottom of the league in mid-December before going on a historic run of form which catapulted the team up the league.

Gray, again, mounted praise on his players for that, defining them as a “special group”.

“I’ve said it numerous times this year about the togetherness of the group.

“The adversity made us stronger, coming through that together, and there’s been big moments this season. You go back to the Rocky goal, how big that was, and that was probably the turning point.

“I always believed in the players, and the effort was always there. You could see that on the training pitch every day and the staff were right behind me every day. We always believed given the time we’d turn it round.

“This group is a special group in terms of the characters, it’s not just about technical ability, it’s about the blend of experience and youth, and about players that really understand what it takes to play for Hibs. A lot of success has been down to the power of the group.”

The fans have been with Gray and his players all season, and he reserved a special message for them.

“They’ve been outstanding with me for 10 years. I’ve been very fortunate to be at this Club for as long as I have, and the support has never wavered.

“I can understand their frustrations at the start of the season because it’s very expensive to follow a football team, but they’ve always been with us and got us through big games.

“The connection between the players and the fans is as strong as I’ve seen it in 10 years and that’s credit to absolutely everyone involved.

“The fans went through the adversity as much as us, probably more because they can’t directly affect it on the football pitch, but we all stuck together, believed we could turn it round, and now we’ve got the rewards for that.”