Hibs caretaker David Gray: I have no idea if I'll be in charge at Hampden

Hibs caretaker manager David Gray admits he does not know how long he will be in charge of the club for, revealing that he has had no time to think about his future.
Hibs caretaker boss David Gray.Hibs caretaker boss David Gray.
Hibs caretaker boss David Gray.

The 33-year-old former club captain is leading the team on an interim basis as the Hibs board search for Jack Ross’ successor in the wake of his sacking on Thursday.

Gray was in the dugout to preside over a 1-1 draw at St Mirren, with Josh Campbell’s 52nd-minute strike cancelled out by Joe Shaughnessy’s goal three minutes from the end.

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With Hibs expected not to rush an appointment, the chances of Gray being in charge for Tuesday’s league clash with Dundee and next Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic are getting higher, but the ex-defender says he does not know how long he will be required to continue in the role.

“To be honest it’s been that much of a whirlwind that I’ve not thought about myself or what I want to do moving forward,” Gray said after the draw at the SMISA Stadium. “It’s just pure and simple about moving forward to Dundee and starting to think about that.

“I have no idea if I’ll still be in charge for Hampden. The foreseeable future to me is until someone tells me to do something different. Me, Eddie [May] and Sammy [Craig Samson] will continue preparing the team to the best of our ability. We’ve got Dundee before the cup final and that’s the most important thing now.”

Asked if they players need clarity at this stage, Gray responded: “They just need to stick together. Everyone involved has to stick together and get ourselves ready for Tuesday now. That becomes the biggest game of our season. We’ve got an opportunity to catch up with a game we’ve missed on and try to get three points and move up the league.”

On the match itself, which continued Hibs’ poor run of form in the cinch Premiership, Gray took heart from an improved performance in comparison to Wednesday night’s 1-0 defeat at Livingston.

They have only taken five points from the last 30 available and remain in seventh place, six points above Ross County and St Johnstone, who are joint-bottom of the league.

"On Wednesday night we got what we deserved, which was nothing,” he reflected. “Today, to lose the goal very late on is disappointing but the manner was different.

"The positives to take are that we lost the other night but picked up a point today in horrible conditions.

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"I thought the players managed it really well, in difficult circumstances – on and off the pitch.

"We started well, created enough chances in the first half and their goalkeeper was easily the busier one.

"Unfortunately we just couldn't get over the line in the end.

"We've always had confidence in this squad of players. They are a really good bunch with really good quality.

"The performances haven't been good enough of late but there's a firm belief that a performance is coming.

"We just need to stick together and keep believing in what we are doing."

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