Hibernian head coach David Gray insists Jordan Smith not dropped after Raphael Sallinger starts in Falkirk

David Gray is adamant goalkeeper Jordan Smith has not been dropped after he handed Raphael Sallinger his first William Hill Premiership start in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at Falkirk.

Smith had been in command of the gloves since ousting Josef Bursik last November but the Englishman – who has had some shaky moments this term – has encountered renewed competition for his place since the arrival of Sallinger in the summer.

The 29-year-old Austrian impressed during his two Premier Sports Cup outings against Livingston and Rangers, but there was some surprise when Smith was not restored to the side for the league match against the Bairns.

“Raphael was always going to play the Rangers game, that was something we decided beforehand, so I spoke to the goalkeepers about that,” said Gray. “It wasn’t as if I’m looking at Smudge and thinking that that needs to change, or anything like that, not at all.

“And then I was just very honest with Smudge (before Falkirk), which was, I’ve seen things in the game at Rangers (from Sallinger) that I thought would give us benefits for Raphael to keep the gloves and play, and I thought he was good.

“It’s not as if I’m not doing it because I felt that was an issue, or anything like that, I just felt it would give us the best opportunity (against Falkirk).”

Gray is open-minded about how the battle between Smith and Sallinger will play out over the season.

“I think you can get caught up in labels in terms of who’s your number one,” said the manager. “I think goalkeepers are always in a position where it’s a very vulnerable place if you make a mistake.

“There’s no hiding place for them, but I think they both get the opportunity every single day in training. I think both goalies have done well when they’ve played.

“I’ve spoken to Smudge a few times about areas in which he’s maybe been disappointed with some goals he’s lost, but he’s also had some big, big performances.

“Think back to the Partizan Belgrade game where it was very public, the noise about his performance in the first 45 (when he made two goal-costing errors in August), but then showed the character and the strength that he’s got to put in his second-half performance.

“I’ve got two very good goalkeepers at the club, and it’s another headache for me every single week to decide what we’re going to do.”