Inside Hibs' remarkable renaissance: David Gray, re-writing record books, 150th fears and big board calls

It was 3.51pm on a cold afternoon on December 14 and bottom-of-the-Premiership Hibs were losing 1-0 to Ross County.

Five minutes of stoppage time had been signalled at the end of the first half. We had moved into the sixth. County boss Don Cowie gestured for referee Lloyd Wilson to call time but Hibs were on the attack and the official let the game continue. Junior Hoilett stood up a cross and Dwight Gayle flicked in the equaliser. After the interval, Hibs went on to win 3-1.

Many will point to Rocky Bushiri's now famous 96th-minute equaliser in a 3-3 draw against Aberdeen on November 26, or the 3-0 win at Motherwell three days later as decisive moments in turning around Hibs' season, but Gayle's goal and the win over Ross County 11 days before Christmas were the gifts the club really needed. Hibs went into that match bottom of the league and had they lost, Gray’s job really would have been on the line. It was the first step in a 17-game unbeaten run that hauled Hibs from the depths of despair to third place.

Hibs have reconnected with their fans this season. | SNS Group

What Hibs have achieved this season has the whiff of a fairytale about it. In Gray's first full season as a head coach, the start of the season was so spectacularly bad that you would have got long odds on Hibs ending up in third place. Going into December, they only had 11 points. Now they have 59. At one point they trialled their current nearest rivals Aberdeen by 21. Now they are four points clear of the Dons.

Hibs' 2-2 draw with St Mirren on Wednesday night, coupled with Aberdeen losing 5-1 to Celtic, means Hibs have third in the bag. They cannot be caught. They took that spot in the league in March and never looked back. At the very least they enter the Europa League at the second qualifying round but should Celtic beat the Dons in the Scottish Cup final on May 24, they will advance to the play-off round and have the parachute of main-phase Conference League football.

Hibs’ wild celebrations

It is the fourth time Hibs have finished third this century, the last of which came in 2021 when Jack Ross led them to 'best of the rest'. Back then, a 1-0 win at an empty Pittodrie during the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in little celebrations. In Paisley, Gray and his players cavorted with their supporters, a club completely reconnected by one of its legends.

Gray is a hero down Easter Road way. He was always going to be, given that he scored that goal in 2016 to land Hibs the Scottish Cup, but his achievements in a fledgling coaching career have enhanced his status - if that was even possible.

Hibs head coach David Gray celebrates with his players after clinching third place against St Mirren. | SNS Group

His appointment last summer to replace Nick Montgomery made sense in terms that as a caretaker boss on four separate occasions, he had auditioned well for the job. Hibs were in need of stability after finishing an underwhelming eighth and having fired too many 'project' managers under the Gordon dynasty. Since Ross' exit, Hibs have axed Sean Maloney, Lee Johnson and Montgomery and signed too many underachieving, expensive players. Steeped in the history of Hibs and well-versed in Scottish football, Gray was the man that owner Ian Gordon and sporting director Malky Mackay believed would bring success.

Exactly a year to the day from parting company with Montgomery, their decision was vindicated. Gordon and Mackay were in the SMiSA Stadium to watch their faith be rewarded.

Hibs’ dreadful start

It was not the start to the season anyone of a Hibs persuasion wanted. Hibs brought in plenty of new faces with experience of British football to assist Gray in his rebuild, but a 1-0 defeat by Kelty Hearts in the group stages of the Premier Sports Cup set some alarm bells ringing. In the Premiership, they only won one match before the end of November - a 2-0 win at home to St Johnstone - and developed a worrying penchant for costly individual errors, red cards and the concession of late goals. Winning positions were frittered away, sometimes in spectacular fashion, in games against Kilmarnock, Dundee, Dundee United and Hearts.

Amidst the poor form on the pitch, there was mounting discontent off it. Owner Gordon was not universally popular, nor was the appointment of Mackay as sporting director. There was particular venom directed at then chief executive Ben Kensell, one constant in the messy previous few years, with supporters chanting for him to be removed from post. They got their wish in January when the two parties parted company. You don't hear much dissent towards the hierarchy now. Winning football matches is the ultimate cure.

Hibs owner Ian Gordon, left, and sporting director Malky Mackay. | SNS Group

To be fair to Gordon and his fellow directors - including Kensell, minority shareholder Black Knight and its president Tim Bezbachenko - they held firm when others may well have pulled the trigger on Gray. They released a statement in early November after a 2-1 defeat by St Mirren giving the 37-year-old a vote of confidence. The next match was a 4-1 thrashing by Dundee, when defender Jordan Obita was sent off just 12 minutes in. It would have been easy to send Gray his P45 after such an event. The next midweek, Bushiri scored deep into added-on time against Aberdeen and the tide started to turn.

Probably stung by so many changes in recent times in the dugout, Hibs were understandably reluctant to give Gray the heave. But despite the poor results, there was evidence that the manager could turn it around. Statistically, Hibs were dominating most of their matches, only to be undone by individual mistakes. But crucially, there were no signs of a dressing-room schism. The playing squad was behind Gray, eager to turn it around for him. His calmness and controlled demeanour for such a rookie coach had won him respect - and time.

Gray’s big Hibs changes

Gray himself admitted results had to improve and eventually they did. The manager made some bold yet correct calls. He switched from a back-four to a back-three, bringing Jack Iredale into the defence. He has made a significant difference. Goalkeeper Josef Bursik was one of the worst offenders when it came to mistakes and was destabilising the players in front of him. After a calamitous display against Dundee, he was dropped for Jordan Smith, who had never been a No 1 and his last league match coming three seasons ago. He has been largely flawless since his debut against Aberdeen. Nectar Triantis was given a role as a No 6 and has flourished into one of the league's best midfielders.

You could go through this whole Hibs squad and pick out individual success stories. Centre-half Rocky Bushiri was a figure of ridicule for opposition fans - and some of his own - yet his performances since December have been magnificent. Nicky Cadden, an unheralded signing at left-back, became an assist and goal king, while the talented yet misfiring midfielder Dylan Levitt is a controlling influence in midfield. Striker Martin Boyle's Hibs career seemed to be meandering to a conclusion, yet his strike on Wednesday took his tally for the season to 19. They have been ably supported by among many Lewis Miller, Chris Cadden, Obita, Josh Campbell, Junior Hoilett, Mykola Kuharevich, Dwight Gayle and Kieron Bowie. Gray has developed a well-oiled, slick machine with many threats.

Dwight Gayle's goal against Ross County was a key moment in Hibs' season. | SNS Group

Record books have been rewritten too. Hibs' run of 17 league games unbeaten is the club's longest since 1947. They won at Ibrox against Rangers for the first time since 2018 and did not lose a derby this term, beating Hearts both at home and away. There was a week between February and March when they took down Celtic, Dundee United and Hearts all in the space of eight days to spark not one but two renditions of the club anthem, Sunshine on Leith. This is a season of fond memories for Hibs fans.

There is still work to do, of course. Financially, Hibs posted a £7.2 million loss in its last accounts, a grisly figure for a club of its size. Gordon has generously wiped that figure out, but Hibs shouldn't be sustained on donations. The owner knows that. Finishing third and the potential of Conference League football will help Hibs in their bid to become more financially viable going forward. A new chief executive is due to be appointed in the next few weeks, and the futures of Boyle and Bushiri - both out of contract - need to be addressed too.

But given that many at Hibs feared that they could enter their 150th year as a football club in the Championship following relegation, the reversal in fortunes has been remarkable. This summer, a series of events are planned to mark Hibs' historic anniversary. It is therefore fitting that one of its dearest sons in Gray has presided over an epic turnaround and reunited a beforehand fractured community.