David Gray: Hibs must show test of character to reverse slide

David Gray: No time to panic. Picture: SNS

The obliteration of the  club’s Championship title challenge as a result of Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat away to Queen of the South following losses at Dumbarton and at home to Morton has spread fear among the faithful ahead of Saturday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final in which they host Inverness Caledonian Thistle and the subsequent League Cup final with Ross County. For full-back Gray, there is only one thing for it.

“[With only one defeat in 28] we were on a great run and full of confidence. Now we have had three hugely disappointing results,” he said. “We have some massive games coming up and we need to start putting things right. It is not a time to panic. It is a time to work hard and prepare for Inverness.”

Gray acknowledged that the situation that puts Hibs’ second place at peril from Falkirk, who lie only a point behind and have three league games before Hibs play next in the second tier, is “definitely” a test of character.

“It’s been a great season up to now and we’re still in three competitions. We need to make sure we don’t start feeling sorry for ourselves,” he said. “It is only the players who can get out of this and turn it around going into the Inverness game. We need to make sure we do that. We know it can quickly turn around and it’s important we get back to winning ways as quickly as possible. It’s not great as you’d rather go into the cup game having won. The boys are desperate to put it right. We have a great opportunity and this is a great game to look forward to at Easter Road. We’re more than capable of winning.”

Describing Stubbs’ post-match address in Dumfries, Gray said: “‘It was not a case of pointing fingers and having a go at anybody. It was more a case of we win as a team, we lose as a team and keeping us all together.”