David Gray insists Hibernian’s season is not over after cup exit

David Gray stressed “the season is not finished” as Hibernian look to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing Scottish Gas Scottish Cup exit when they travel to Falkirk on Saturday.

Travelling Hibs fans let the players know of their displeasure after losing 1-0 to Championship side Dunfermline at East End Park to an unfortunate late own goal from Miguel Chaiwa.

The Easter Road side are sitting in fifth place in the William Hill Premiership – two points behind Motherwell, five ahead of the Bairns and 10 clear of seventh-placed Dundee United – and Gray insists it is “not all doom and gloom”.

“The standards we’ve set, and the objectives of the football club, the fans have got a right to be frustrated, to be disappointed, to be angry,” said Gray, who confirmed Josh Mulligan will be out for “a few weeks” with an ankle injury picked up in Fife.

“It’s up to myself and up to the players to change that.

“As I say, because we’re not in the Scottish Cup now, you can’t dwell on that.

“You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You need to move on quickly.

“Football doesn’t give you the chance to feel sorry for yourself and moving forward, there is zero distractions between now and end of the season.

“The season is not now finished with nothing to play for. The main thing we can do now is try and finish as high up the table as we possibly can.

“We’re in a good position to go and challenge up the way, which is the most important thing. And this weekend gives us a great chance to go and do that.”

On Mulligan’s injury, Gray, who expects there to “be movement” in the transfer window, said: “We don’t know exactly, to put an exact timescale on it.

“It will be a few weeks, a period of time, which is a blow on a personal level for Josh as well. It comes at a time where he was playing really well.

“So it’s a real disappointment for him, but he’s very much desperate to get back and is working hard to do that, so he’s very good that way, but that’s a disappointment because he was playing really well.

“He’s had scans, he’s had things checked.

“I did fear the worst when I said it, straight after the game, that when Josh stays down he’s done something.

“Unfortunately, there does seem to be a bit of an issue with his ankle, but we’ll have to investigate a little bit further, but, as I say, it’ll certainly keep him out for a few weeks.”