Gray Expects “Classic Cup Tie” Against Dunfermline

“It’s got all the makings of a classic cup tie” said Hibernian FC Head Coach David Gray ahead of this weekend’s match against Dunfermline Athletic.

It’ll be a sell-out at KDM Group East End Park for the Fourth Round tie as Hibs look to start a memorable run in the Scottish Cup.

When looking ahead of the early kick-off on Saturday, Gray gave his thoughts on the outing to Hibs TV.

“It’s a great game to look forward to. We’re taking over 5,000 fans which is a brilliant following again.

“It’ll be a difficult game against a young side with a lot of energy and against a manager we know well as well, so it’s got all the makings of a classic cup tie.

“We know we need to show the right mentality from the very start because it’s an opportunity to get into the next round of the cup.”

There’s a familiar face in the Dunfermline Athletic dugout as Gray faces his former manager Neil Lennon.

‘Lenny’ is held in high-regard by Gray and the Hibs support following a successful managerial spell at the Club, and our current Head Coach detailed how much he’s looking forward to facing his old boss on Saturday.

“He’s what the club needed at the time after Alan Stubbs left. He has that winning mentality, and he wanted to see that every single day. He drove that standard all the time and it’s what we needed to get out the Championship because we’d spent too long there.

“He instilled a winning mentality, and I firmly expect the Dunfermline players to have that mindset at the weekend. Neil Lennon’s sides have a right go and they’ll try to make it difficult for us. He will make sure they’re right up for it.

“I have to prepare our players to know what to expect and to make them aware of what they’re going into. It’s all about making sure we approach it the right way. The focus for us all week is mentality and making sure we do everything properly.

“It’s a massive game for us as it’s the first game in the Scottish Cup. At the start of every season, we set it objectives and targets, and we see this as a genuine opportunity to try and win a trophy; that’s what’s expected here.”

Gray also delivered a positive update in terms of team news as both Martin Boyle and Nicky Cadden could be in contention for this weekend.

“The only player definitely out is Josh Campbell. His injury will keep him out until the end of the month, but he’s progressing well. The international boys are all back training fully.

“Martin Boyle and Nicky Cadden both trained this week too. I did say before the Motherwell game that we had positive news on the two of them, that game just came too soon. They’ve both come through training this week, which gives us a real strong, healthy squad for the difficult game this weekend.”