Delighted David Gray reveals Hibs next target after moving into top six for first time

Hibs manager David Gray has hailed his players as the Easter Road side moved into the top six for the first time this season with a 3-1 win over Motherwell.

The fans chanted his name towards the end of the victory as Hibs made it seven matches unbeaten. Gray has now challenged his side to continue hunting down the teams above them. Motherwell are now just two points in front in fifth place and Aberdeen, who started so strongly, are five points ahead, although they do have two games in hand.

Hibs head coach David Gray during the 3-1 win over Motherwell at Easter Road. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) | SNS Group

“The return in the last ten games, only one defeat in ten, is fantastic,” said Gray. “A lot of work's gone into it, a lot of hard work. We had to stay together through real difficult times. We've given ourselves a real opportunity now to push on. I tasked them before the game to try and get into that top six, we've still got ten games to go before that's settled. We need to make sure we keep picking up points quickly and make sure we're (still) in there.

“The next target, as always, is obviously to try and win the next game, but also catch the person in front of you. That's been something we've had to do a lot this season, because we were at the bottom of the league for a long time. However quickly or how often it was chopping and changing down at the bottom, the full focus was catching the team in front of us.

“You see how tight the league is at the moment, how quickly things can change, and I think that's the benefit of trying to take one game at a time. I know it's an old cliche, but when you have that mindset and that mentality, just moving on to the next one and hunting down the team in front. Now, as you look at the league, until we can't catch the team in front of us that'll be our full focus to try and do that.”

Hibs players celebrate after Martin Boyle (third from left) puts them in front against Motherwell. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Goals from Martin Boyle, who struck his second double in successive games, and Nectar Triantis, with only his second career goal, secured the points. A free-kick from Motherwell substitute Callum Slattery brought the visitors briefly back into it with 15 minutes left, with Hibs scoring their third through Boyle’s penalty shortly afterwards.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell lamented failing to take advantage of the chance to put some pressure on Hibs in the latter stages, with Stephen O’Donnell unnecessarily pushing Lewis Miller in the box as new on-loan ‘keeper Archie Mair, signed from Norwich City hours before kick-off, was collecting a cross.

“We had started to activate our forward players,” said Kettlewell, who made two changes at half-time and was also forced to replace the injured Paul McGinn in the first-half. “So you believe there's at least one more chance out there for you, potentially more. As I say, at that stage, it was a kind of rare foray into our final third from Hibs.

“The goalkeeper comes and takes the ball comfortably,” he added. “And Stephen, as our most experienced player, is disappointed, naturally, with the decision he makes. It is a penalty. When the goalkeeper claims the ball so easily, I feel it should still be 2-1 and we should be defending better and in a better body position than he (O’Donnell) gets himself into. He needs to trust his goalkeeper to do exactly what he does. It is not a danger. It is so frustrating.”