'Sums up our season' - Hibs interim David Gray on finishing issue after 18 shots, 0 on target

Hibs interim boss David Gray bemoaned his side’s lack of clinical edge after the team failed to hit the target once in the 1-0 defeat at Livingston.

The Capital club were the stronger team in the first half but failed to capitalise on their possession and lost out to Scott Pittman’s second-half strike.

Hibs, over the 90 minutes, had 18 shots but they didn’t get one on target with Livi’s Russian goalkeeper Ivan Konovalov untested.

“We’re very disappointed to lose the game,” Gray said. “I thought in the first half we were good and dominated pretty much.

“We created lots of chances, nullified them a lot and passed the ball well.

“We should have been more clinical and taken our chances. It kind of sums up our season — 18 shots on goal and nothing on target.

“It shows where we’re struggling, to put the ball in the net. It’s not just the forwards, it’s everyone that’s involved.

“Credit to Livingston, in the second half they came out with a reaction to how we played and got their goal.

Hibs interim boss David Gray gives his side instructions. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

“I don’t think we really recovered from that.”

He added: “We won last week and confidence was high during the week in training.

“The bigger concern would be if you weren’t creating any chances—dominating the ball and not creating chances.

“We need to be far more clinical at the top end of the pitch. We’ll be in on Monday and work on finishing in training.

“A lot of it is confidence and when you train it has to be with a desire to be as good as you can be and hope it comes off in games.

“It doesn’t happen overnight, it does take time.”

The result leaves the club eighth in the Premiership and with a new manager yet to be appointed the players could well be performing for their place in the team next season.

“The objective is to finish seventh and we can still do that,” Gray said.

“As a football player, you’re always being judged.

“If you’re not putting it in towards the end of the season then people start to question your character or determination.

“It’s important every time you pull the jersey on that you apply yourself as hard as you can to the best of your ability.”