Gray Looking For Reaction At Easter Road

Hibernian Head Coach David Gray is looking for a reaction from his players as the Hibees return to Easter Road after a disappointing result in midweek.

The Hibees were dealt a sucker-punch in midweek, conceding a late goal in the Edinburgh Derby to come away from Tynecastle empty-handed. 

Whilst it was a spirited performance, it ultimately counted for nothing, and Gray is eager to get back to winning ways as the Hibees host St Mirren this weekend.

Speaking to Hibs TV ahead of the fixture, the Hibs Head Coach said:

“As you can imagine, the derby defeat was extremely tough to take, so everyone has obviously been very disappointed. 

“The good thing though, is the quick turnaround between games and the chance for us to go and put it right. That’s been the message and the full focus this week.

“We’ve got a good opportunity at home – our home form has been really good and that doesn’t happen by accident. We’ve had that consistency of performance at Easter Road.

“That doesn’t mean we can just turn up and win this weekend – we know it’ll be a really tough game. St Mirren are always a tough team to play against. But it is about us - it’s about focusing on that reaction and using that disappointment and that feeling to make sure you’re coming off the pitch after the game with no regrets and making sure you’re not feeling that way again.”

Gray is expecting another tough test this weekend, with the visitors – St Mirren – always a tricky opponent under Stephen Robinson.

“It will be a really tough game,” Gray continued.

“We need to prepare the players for a physical challenge — it always is. They’re a very well-organised, very well-coached team and we know what we’re going to face, so we need to make sure the players are aware of that. 

“They’re off the back of a disappointing result themselves, so they’ll be looking for that reaction too and we need to guard against that as well. But, the full focus has to be on us.

“It has to be on bouncing back as quickly as we can and making sure that we start winning games of football more consistently. We’re very capable of doing it, nothing’s going to change on that front. 

"We need to keep moving forward and keep trying to catch the team in front of us. We’ve got an opportunity this weekend to try and do that.

Gray provided an early team news update, including the latest on Munashe Garananga, who limped off against Hearts on Tuesday night.

“We had a few bumps and bruises as you’d expect with the quick turnaround. Gara obviously came off with his ankle — we’re hoping it’s not too serious. 

“He has reacted really well, so we’ll just see how he goes. The positive news is that Warren got some minutes and some time on the grass and he’s been training again since, so the group is getting a wee bit healthier.

“The only one that could potentially miss out would be Gara, but we’ll see how he progresses. There’s nobody else coming back – the benefit is that Jamie (McGrath), Warren (O’Hora) and the new players are getting more minutes on the pitch and more time on the grass. 

“I think we are moving in the right direction, but now it’s about the result this weekend.”