David Gray hopes his Hibernian players can make Scottish Cup mark as he did

Hibernian boss David Gray has challenged his players to make Scottish Cup memories for themselves like he did when experiencing his “greatest moment on a football pitch” in the 2016 final.

The 36-year-old will always be revered by supporters after his stoppage-time header secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Rangers, ending the Hibees’ 114-year wait to win the tournament and sparking a mass pitch invasion at Hampden Park. Gray was also the captain, meaning he got to lead his team up to lift the trophy.

The former right-back takes charge of his first Scottish Cup tie since being named Hibs manager in the summer when West of Scotland Premier Division leaders Clydebank visit Easter Road in the fourth round on Saturday.

“I don’t think it’s about making it about me at all,” he said. “The reality is that because I was part of a team that was fortunate enough to actually achieve something here in a cup competition, I’m able to say that ‘it is achievable, we’ve done it’, and how good it can be when that happens.

“It’s the greatest moment I’ve ever experienced on a football pitch, personally. But also for the club, for the supporters, for everyone involved, they’re great moments to be involved in. And as players, that’s what you look back on.

“Now that I’ve retired from playing, I look back on what I achieved in my career. Obviously, you want to play at the highest possible level, but you also want to be thinking about things you’ve won.

“If you’ve been fortunate enough to do that, it’s a very lucky position to be in and I feel very privileged to be able to do that, especially when you think back to some of the great players who maybe didn’t win anything in their careers.

“To be able to say I have is fantastic. Obviously, we’re a long way away from that at the moment. But at the start of every season, it is an objective of ours.”

Gray is not getting carried away by thoughts of leading Hibs to Scottish Cup glory as both a player and a manager.

“No, I’ve never thought that far ahead, definitely not,” he said. “It’s all about taking care of business tomorrow, first and foremost and then if we get to the next round, hopefully we get to the next one, and then we’ll start moving from there.

“I think any time the Scottish Cup comes round, I’ll always get asked about it, whether it be with fans, whether it be with yourselves (media), I think.

“Naturally, that’s a massive part of my life and my career. But I think at this stage it’s just about making sure the players are ready for what they expect going into the game. And it is a genuine opportunity to try and win something.”

Gray is adamant there is no chance of Hibs taking Clydebank lightly and will send out “a really strong side” even though he plans to “freshen” things up in certain areas after a heavy schedule in the league.

Scotland Under-21 forward Kieron Bowie is set to be in the squad for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in September.

Hibs have not made any January signings although they have been linked with North Macedonia midfielder Jani Atanasov and Finnish midfielder Matias Siltanen.

“Listen, I won’t be getting dragged into anyone playing for any other clubs,” said Gray. “The only thing I can say is that we are working hard to try and improve if we think something can become available.”