Hibernian boss David Gray says experience of last season will help them get through tough period

Hibernian head coach David Gray says his side’s experience from the start of last season will help them get through this tough period.

Hibs had a horrendous start to the last campaign that left them at the bottom of the table, and some fearing for Gray’s job, towards the end of 2024.

However, the Easter Road side turned it around with a fantastic run from the turn of the year and eventually finished in third place.

Following their League Cup exit at the hands of Rangers at the weekend, they now have just one win in their last eight games in all competitions.

But Gray is not ready to hit the panic button just yet, and used last season as an example of how quickly things can turn around if they start getting positive results.

Speaking to the media on the eve of their game against Falkirk, he said: “It’s important to move on quickly, that’s the benefit of having another game so soon after a loss, and we have a chance to go and rectify that defeat.

“But, you can’t just sweep it under the carpet and not look at the things that went wrong. So we have done that as well and looked at how we can improve on certain things.

“Falkirk will be another tough test, it’s not going to be an easy fixture by any means, but it’s one that gives us a chance to try and strengthen our league position.

“After a defeat you have to stick together and realise how quickly things can change again with a positive result. If we get three points tomorrow night you can look at it in isolation and say ‘that’s nine point from five games and sitting in third place’ so that’s definitely not a disaster of a start.

“You are always looking at (last season), the bulk of the squad has been through that adversity. The start we have made this season, compared to last season, is already significantly different.

“You always get a feeling from the players, and the boys were really disappointed not to make the next round of the cup, but that shows how far the group has come that they believed they could go to Ibrox and win.

“The disappointment was there, but the challenge now is how to react to that and making sure we turn it into a positive.

“We talked about the expectation levels at the start of the season, off the back of what we done last year the expectation was also going to rise.

“We have a good group, they are a very hardworking and humble group who are always looking to improve and that is something that is brilliant to work with as a coach.”