Hibernian

Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

The last thing David Gray needed, after a Conference League qualifying win at Easter Road that started the process of winning over some very concerned fans, was to lose to another late goal at home to Motherwell.

Gray's facing an uphill battle to get the crowd onside despite his legendary status at the club and while there's still a silent majority behind him, the noisy minority is growing.

An opening-day defeat is rarely cause for calls for a head coach to go but the manner of the loss stung. Another late goal (one in each of our three competitive games this season) and a fourth home league defeat in a row, going back to last term's top-six matches, has left Gray with very little credit in the bank.

When we see a first half where Hibs, again, fail to register a shot on target it's understandable that frustrations are heard.

That said, I have seen enough from Thursday's win and the second-half performance on Sunday, where we had Motherwell hanging on, to believe it's not far from clicking. The players are evidently playing for Gray and there's no lack of effort or commitment.

I'm not ready to put my name in the 'Gray out' camp yet.

We have some tough games ahead and I would love to see Hibs and Gray emerge with positive results and more encouraging performances to set up the rest of the season without the distraction of weekly discussions on the manager's future.

You can find Matty Fairnie at Longbangers podcast, external

We asked for your views after Hibs were paired with IFK Gothenburg of Sweden or Gent of Belgium if they oust Shkendija to reach the Conference League play-off round.

Here are some of your comments:

Bill: The squad we have will be out in next round. Too many inexperienced youngsters, and a million pound buy not getting any game time. Very poor management and board decisions.

Scott: Right at this moment - not confident of progressing against any of those sides. The team is lightweight and predictable.

Kenny: After spending Sunday afternoon at Easter Road I can't get motivated into positive thinking about the next European tie. David Gray's idea of front-foot football isn't mine. It's okay playing passing football but with Hibs there's no end product. Hes not the man to take us forward and I think we will be out of Europe after this round.

Colin: Unless we can be less predictable in our build-up play and start being more clinical in front of goal we should forget Europe. Should have scored more against Malisheva and Motherwell.

Chris: The draw could have been a lot worse, we just need to play like we did on Thursday night.

Image source, Getty Images

Hibs still have to get past Shkendija of North Macedonia to reach a Conference League qualifying play-off, but there's no harm in looking ahead to their potential opponents.

The winner of the third qualifying round tie between IFK Gothenburg and Gent will lie in wait should Hibs progress.

Gent will be strong favourites given their European pedigree and Gothenburg's struggles in the ongoing Allsvenskan.

The Swedish outfit are 13th after just four wins in 15 matches and also struggled through the previous round of Conference League qualifying against Estonia's Levadia.

After a 2-1 loss at home, Gothenburg needed extra time in Tallinn to progress 4-3 on aggregate.

Gent meanwhile have already played Scottish opposition this summer, beating Motherwell 4-3 in a friendly.

They also struggled through the second round of Conference League qualifying, coming through a penalty shootout to beat Ukrainian side LNZ Cherkasy after two goalless draws.

They came fifth in the Belgian Pro League last term, but have reached the knockout stages of the Conference League in the past four seasons and will be heavy favourites to reach the play-offs.

We asked for your views after Hibernian suffered a dramatic opening-day Scottish Premiership defeat against Motherwell on Sunday.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Alan: Really poor first half and you wonder what would have happened if they had started the game like they did in the second half. That said enough chances were created to go ahead had the strikers managed to convert one of the many good crosses into the box.

Kev: Hibs have no shape, no real style of play and a manager who has no Plan A, never mind a Plan B. It's time for David Gray to move on.

Rosh: Deja vu all over again. Struggle to convert our chances when we are on top and then get sucker punched at the other end. This Hibs team just simply cannot be trusted to get the job done. First half was a snoozefest and quite simply unacceptable.

John: Same as last season. Can't fault effort but no-one to deliver the killer pass to the strikers. I find we're too easy to play through at times and our defence panics when that happens.

Alex: Copy and paste from last season. Make good chances, miss them and lose a late goal. Only played three competitive game this season and have lost a goal in the last 10 minutes in each of them. Got to get this sorted or it's going to be no better than last season.

Hibernian have been drawn against IFK Gothenburg of Sweden or Gent of Belgium if they oust Shkendija of Macedonia and reach the Conference League play-off round.

David Gray's side would be away from home for the first leg on 20 August, with the return the following Thursday.

Gothenburg finished fourth in last season's Allsvenskan, while Gent were fifth in the Belgian Pro League and have reached the league stage in recent years.

What do you think of the draw and how do you rate the Leith side's chances of qualifying?

Give us your thoughts.

Watch Sportscene highlights from Easter Road as Ibrahim Said's late goal secures Motherwell's win over Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK users only.

Motherwell continued their impressive start to life under manager Alfred Johansson as Ibrahim Said's superb goal secured a narrow Scottish Premiership victory at Hibernian.

Read the match report here.

Have your say on the result here.

Image source, SNS

Hibernian head coach David Gray tells Sky Sports: "Second half was much more like us and then we have the big moment in the game.

"I thought there was only one team that was going to win the game with the chances we created.

"We lose it through naivety. The goal we lose is really poor. Yes, people make mistakes, but don't make two or three. We also need to be more clinical. You need to take your chances when you're on top.

"We can't feel sorry for ourselves with a European game on Thursday night.

"We've dropped points today and that's really tough to take.

"It helps when bodies come back [from injury. We're always looking [for new signings]. Naturally, there will be people going the other way."

Image source, SNS

Hibernian head coach David Gray believes his side are in excellent fettle for their league opener following a stirring European comeback.

Hibs banished their dismal 2-0 defeat in Kosovo by progressing to the third qualifying round of the Conference League with a 4-1 second leg win over Malisheva at Easter Road on Thursday.

They now host fellow Conference League hopefuls Motherwell in the Premiership on Sunday.

"It was job done in terms of progressing in Europe into the next round, that's fantastic," Gray said. "Especially from where we were, to come back, we should take the confidence from that and also the way we played.

"Certainly the legs won't feel as tired as if we had lost the game and, just mentally, had the feeling of not progressing in Europe. So we're certainly going into the game in a real positive frame of mind."

Gray, whose side face Shkendija in the next round, added: "It's a big effort required again against Motherwell but I'll go back to what I said going into the first leg [against Malisheva] which was I'm really happy with how pre-season went, really happy with the physicality of the players.

"We need to keep moving forward and we've got an opportunity at home against a team that's progressed in Europe as well.

"I'm delighted for them, you want your Scottish clubs to do well. I think that is important. They've started well again.

"They've got a new manager, they'll be a different test slightly but at the same time I think they're playing quite a similar way and we know it will be a difficult test, but it's one where we want to try and do it right.

"It's a team that we never beat last season but we've got an opportunity in the first game to try and do that."

Image source, SNS

Hibs could have Callum Wright and Ante Suto back in the squad after injury but Nicky Cadden and Jamie McGrath (both calf) are set to remain sidelined, along with Rocky Bushiri (Achilles).

Motherwell have added new loan signings Alex Lowry and Jamie Knight-Lebel while Tawanda Maswanhise was back in action on Thursday with a mask protecting his fractured jaw.

Johnny Koutroumbis (hand), Eythor Bjorgolfsson are pushing for comebacks while Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (calf) remains out along with Jordan McGhee (hamstring), Paul McGinn, Callum Hendry and Stephen O'Donnell (all knee).

We asked for your views after Hibs hit back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to overcome Malisheva and reach the third round of Conference League qualifying.

Here are some of your comments:

Robbie: Job done in the end. Yes the away leg was well below par, but ultimately it's about going through. It was great to see David Gray release the shackles slightly, shows what we can do as an attacking force if given the freedom. If we can do that more often than not this year we'll be in for a decent finish in the league.

William: We qualified, thats the main thing. Bit sloppy with the passing and missed a few sitters. Jury still out, Motherwell will reveal if any progress has been made. I feel the next tie at home might be coming a bit quick for us, as it's a must win.

Kenny: This was a must win for the manager but the fans will demand more of the same instead of the the boring football served up last season. We need to see a Hibs team play of the front foot and get into teams. The fans don't mind losing a game if beaten by a better team but the won't stand for tippy-tappy football we played all last season.

John: Great performance up until the last 20 minutes. Again Joe Newell cost uswith slack defending. Again Hibs were in total control, subs are made and the game changes for the worse.

Graeme: Some sort of redemption after the debacle of last week, but far from outstanding against a side that were no better than an average non-league outfit. The fact we were hanging on at the end is a concern. We should have been home and hosed before half-time.

Ross: Let's not get too excited by that. A few standout performances - Owen Elding, Miguel Chaiwa and Martin Boyle - and credit to Nathan Lowe for fantastic workrate. Felix Passlack and Jason Kerr also very good. Unless we play at the tempo we showed on Thursday night, things can easily go south.

Image source, SNS

• This will be Alfred Johansson's first league game in charge of Motherwell. Just two of the Steelmen's last seven managers (including caretakers) have won their first league match (losing three of them), Steven Hammell beating St Mirren 1-0 in July 2022 and Stuart Kettlewell beating the same side 2-1 in February 2023.

• Motherwell have only won their league opener in one of the last nine seasons (losing four times), beating St Mirren 1-0 in 2022-23.

• Hibernian have won their opening game in seven of the last nine Scottish Premiership seasons (losing the other two), although they have lost on the opening day in two of the last three.

• Motherwell won away to Hibs 1-0 on the final day of last season. The Steelmen are therefore looking to successive away league wins over Hibs for the first time since August 2013 – when the second win was on the opening day of the season.

• Hibs have won three of the last four occasions they have faced Motherwell on the opening day of a league season (losing the other), including both of the last two: 3-0 in 2018-19, and 3-2 in 2021-22.

Hibernian dominated Malisheva at Easter Road to wipe out last week's first-leg defeat in Kosovo and set up a Conference League third qualifying round tie against Shkendija of North Macedonia.

Read the match report here.

Have your say on the result here.

Image source, SNS

Hibernian head coach David Gray: "The start is what I really want to focus on - the reaction.

"We spoke about the intensity we want to play at, the intent from the start to play forward, run forward and get the crowd behind us.

"I saw it in training and they fully deserved to win tonight. We should have been out of sight, we hit the woodwork a couple of times and missed three or four big chances.

"That goal at the end made it a little bit edgy but at the same time, they deserved what they got tonight. Delighted for them.

"We've got real good options [up front]. I've always spoken about being flexible. Nathan Lowe brings a focal point and the front three were all very good tonight.

"It's now a case of we're in the next round and can take that momentum into the opening league game against Motherwell.

"We're ready for Thursday-Sunday-Thursday - that's what everything in pre-season has been geared up for.

"It's different for a coach winning games to being a player. Relief kicks in and then it's the next game. You enjoy it for two minutes and then onto the next one."