Hibs dream of Europe as league kicks off - latest ahead of Scottish Premiership opening weekend

Straining at the leash - Warren O'Hora in training for the big kick-off. | SNS Group

The threat felt real enough as Hibs kicked off season 2024-25 in a competition tweaked to give top-flight also-rans a testing middle ground between friendly bounce games and bare-knuckle fights to the footballing death. There was sufficient intensity to the anger and frustration surrounding defeat in Kelty, for instance, to underline the importance of getting through the Premier Sports Cup group stages relatively unscathed.

As much as we all stressed the importance of those competitive fixtures against lower-league opposition, however, the imminent arrival of another Scottish Premiership campaign will always feel like the transition from phoney war to full-on hostilities. This? This matters.

David Gray’s men travel to Paisley on Sunday fully aware of the challenge presented by a St Mirren side who have, so far, made the most of the European qualification that excused them early-season duty in the old League Cup. With a home-and-away league and cup double-header against Celtic to follow, it already feels like the new manager needs a win. Not just to set the tone, but to provide a buffer against potential future troubles.

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As a club, Hibs actually boast a remarkable record on the opening day of their league campaigns, with research for online betting firm Grosvenor Sport putting them second – behind only Celtic – in standings based on the last ten seasons. A tally of eight wins and two losses from those fixtures, with a goal difference of plus nine, is only slightly offset by one of those defeats coming at home to St Mirren a year ago.

Gray would obviously have liked to be hitting this weekend with another striker – or two – already on board and integrated into his team. Even without that vital piece of the puzzle, though, he’s unlikely to be underprepared. Or lowering his sights.

“We’ve got the boys to a level where, as a staff, we’re really happy,” he said, looking ahead to his first league game as a manager. “And now the thinking is: ‘Right, this is what all the hard work was for. It starts now. Let’s make sure we get where we need to be.’

“And that comes from goals we’ve set ourselves. We sat down as a club and talked about that. What is the ambition of the club this season? What do we feel we can achieve?

“The obvious one, from my own personal perspective, is how can we be better than last year? We need to improve on last year. That obviously ties in with the demands and expectations of working at a club like this.”

Gray, who travelled west to watch St Mirren beat Icelandic opposition Valur to secure their place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, says he’ll actively use the incentive of European football to motivate his players, explaining: “That’s the expectation when you sign for a club like this. That has to be the demand we place on everyone.

“I had it as a player. I’ve made it clear as a coach. And now as a head coach, I have the same message.

“The club craves European football. The fans crave it. And we’re more than good enough to go and deliver it.

“Obviously we were in Europe at the start of last season. Being part of the occasions, like going to Villa Park, those are chances to test yourself.

“The scenes at Villa Park, even though we lost heavily on aggregate, were unbelievable at the end of the game. It was a brilliant away day experience for the fans. And it was a memorable experience for the players.

“You don’t always get the opportunity to play in games like that, the chance to test yourself at that level. But signing for Hibs, there is a genuine opportunity to go and play in Europe. That has to be the ambition. We’re all focused on what success looks like – and how we’re going to get there. That starts on Sunday.”

Hang around long enough and you’ll inevitably grow sceptical about football’s relation to logic or common sense. The inherent joy of the game, for followers of all but a handful of teams, is the uncertainty. Being under new management merely adds to that.

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But is there also room for eager anticipation? Within the camp, the answer to that – at least in public – is a resounding yes, Gray acknowledging: “I think you can feel a little bit more excitement. Not that it’s pre-season done, because I’ve been very strong on the competitive games in the cup being anything but pre-season games.

“But you are still in that period where you are managing minutes. You are making sure people get through the games safely, so they peak throughout the season, and that they don’t get injured.

“You never want to lose bodies in those games because then people get burned out early in the season. So there is that balancing act to be done, 100 per cent.

“Now, it’s not that the hard work is done, but all that pre-season work is in your legs. And everything is geared up for this first game of the league season, the excitement that goes with that.”