Martin Boyle: I have no doubt that David Gray will be successful at Hibs

Martin Boyle is adamant that David Gray can lead Hibernian through their current difficulties and prove himself as a successful boss at Easter Road.

Hibs are bottom of the William Hill Premiership after just one win in eight league games and defeats in each of their last three.

Former club captain Gray was only appointed manager on a permanent basis in the summer following four different stints as caretaker boss.

However, the 36-year-old is already coming under pressure ahead of Sunday’s Edinburgh derby visit from a Hearts side resurgent under new boss Neil Critchley.

“I have no doubt in my mind that the gaffer will be successful here,” said Boyle, a long-time former team-mate of Gray. “Albeit it’s a results business and it can be ruthless, I have no doubt.

“We have the belief in him that we can turn this around. We have a group of players that will do it. Hopefully we can do that on Sunday. Not only for us, the fans, but for him because he deserves it.

“It’s never nice seeing anyone lose their job, I’ve been there a few times. I’d certainly run through a brick wall for the manager, he knows that. He can lean on me and I can lean on him.

“With the trust he’s put in us, we need to start giving more. That should be 100 per cent given. When you put on this shirt, you have to give everything for this football club. We need to start doing that.

“We need to flick the switch, we need to do it. Unfortunately we’re down at the moment, but if we stick together, I have the belief that we can turn this around. It’s a perfect opportunity on Sunday.”

Hibernian are locked on the five-point mark with Hearts, with the two sides going into the derby in the bottom two places in the league. Boyle believes a positive result on Sunday could ignite Hibs’ campaign after a string of costly late lapses that have lost them points in recent matches.

“Football is mad, especially in this league, it can turn on its head quickly,” said the Australia forward. “If you can get a little run together you can be straight back up that table. Ideally that’s what we want to do.

“Hopefully we can get a positive result this weekend and get the fans back on side and show them how much this club means to us. There’s no better game than an Edinburgh derby. It’s a massive one, probably the biggest one in years. It should be a tasty one.”

Boyle returned to action as a second-half substitute in last weekend’s agonising 3-2 defeat at Dundee United after undergoing an operation on a wrist issue that had hindered him for most of the campaign.

“I’m raring to go, good to go,” he said. “I was pushing for a start last Saturday but that was the manager’s decision to make. I feel good, the hand’s much better, the operation was a successful one and thankfully I wasn’t out for a long period of time.”