David Gray pleased with attacking reinforcements as Hibs seek to bounce back

David Gray expects the addition of four new attackers over the past week to help Hibernian recover from a grim start to their William Hill Premiership campaign.

The Easter Road side sealed a loan deal for Swansea striker Mykola Kukharevych on the morning of the season-opening 3-0 defeat away to St Mirren last weekend, and since then they have signed wingers Junior Hoilett and Nicky Cadden, along with Scotland Under-21 forward Kieron Bowie.

Gray is confident his carefully-sourced new recruits will soon start to have a positive impact for the Hibees, who host Celtic on Sunday.

“I’ve said it for the last three or four weeks that we’ve been working very hard to strengthen the squad, especially in the forward areas,” the manager said on Thursday.

“Would I have liked them in a lot earlier? 100 per cent, I think every manager in the country would say that. It would be ideal to have them all in for pre-season tours and things like that but that’s not the reality of football.

“Everyone’s been working hard to identify the right types, it’s not just a case of bringing in players because we needed forward players. It’s been a process we’ve gone through, we’ve worked hard to identify them and I’m delighted with the characters we’ve got and the quality they will bring in the final third.”

Bowie, 21, became the latest new addition on Thursday after Hibs paid what they described as a “significant” six-figure transfer fee to sign the former Raith Rovers attacker from Fulham on a four-year deal.

“He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s played at a good level down south and he understands the Scottish league,” said Gray. “He’s got pace and power and will cause defenders a lot of trouble. He’s also a very good character.

“We’re delighted to bring him here to showcase his talent and hopefully he can develop into a top striker, which he is already well on his way to becoming.”

Gray refused to be drawn on reports that Hibs are trying to sign Dundee captain Luke McCowan although he did confirm the club are not finished in the transfer market.

“Whilst the window is open we will always try to improve the squad,” he said. “We’ll definitely look to do that, and hopefully it can happen.

“At the same time, I expect it to go both ways, I expect there to be ins and outs because you can’t just keep bringing in players.

“It’s good to have competition but also young players need to be playing and you want them to start to go and make careers for themselves if they’re not getting enough game time.”