Exclusive:Hibs forwards 'fear of missing' concerns dismissed as need for goals emphasised in race for Europe
‘Something has to give’ as nearest rivals meet while Kilmarnock visit Easter Road
They’re still putting themselves in the right places, showing few signs of what David Gray calls “the fear of missing” – Kryptonite to the most potent of strikers – taking a grip. The Hibs forwards are not so spooked by the sight of goal that they’re shying away from hurtling headlong into the red zone.
But drawing a blank in consecutive Scottish Premiership fixtures is a source of at least minor concern for Easter Road boss Gray, who is acutely aware of his team’s position in the race to secure European qualification for the second consecutive season. With a six-point disadvantage plus a minus-13 goal difference to make up on fourth-placed Motherwell, the need for firepower can certainly be gauged towards the pressing end of urgent on the necessity scale.
Insisting that “something has to give” in the battle for minor placings when Motherwell host sixth-placed Falkirk this weekend, Gray is focused on the danger posed by a resurgent Kilmarnock. Only three points at Easter Road on Saturday will make events at Fir Park relevant, in a positive sense.
Strikers not shying away from danger
Gray, reluctant to lean on statistics but aware that Hibs are still ranked third in Scotland’s top flight when it comes to expected goals (xG), understands his team’s main failing at the moment. And a good chunk of the international break has been spent addressing the issue.
“I think sharpening up our finishing is the biggest thing we’ve been working on,” Gray told The Evening News, the gaffer adding: “And it feels like I’ve spoken about this a lot this season.
“It’s not as if we're not creating chances, so it's not as if it doesn't look like we're going to score. We have been creating chances. We have been getting into the final third.
Scottish Premiership statistics tell a story
| Player | Appearances (starts) | Goals |
| Martin Boyle | 29 (21) | 6 |
| Elie Youan | 17 (6) | 5 |
| Ante Suto | 7 (2) | 3 |
| Owen Elding | 6 (4) | 2 |
| Dane Scarlett | 8(4) | 0 |
“I'm not a massive one for stats. The one that matters, as I say all the time, is the score in the top corner of the screen.
“But if somebody looks at it and goes: ‘Right from an xG point of view, something you can pinpoint out, are we getting into enough dangerous areas?’ And the answer to that is definitely yes.
“What I need to keep happening and keep working on is to get the confidence up. Keep making sure the players are putting themselves in those good positions.
“What you don't want to happen is the confidence drops. The worst thing is when players are reluctant to go and make that run for the fear of missing, for example.
“I don't think that's happening at all. But we just need to keep working on it, keep improving, keep putting yourself in those positions - and I'm sure it will turn.”
The race for European qualification has reached the home straight, with only the Scottish Premiership top four guaranteed a crack at UEFA Competition next season. Fifth place will only be enough if Celtic go onto win the Scottish Cup – and Hibs are currently five points clear of Falkirk in that potential final qualifying position.
“Obviously, we've got our own priorities, the most important thing for us, which is trying to catch Motherwell,” said Gray. “That is still our target.
“Motherwell play Falkirk at the weekend. Something might give there - or somebody has to give up something there.
“We just need to make sure that we do something we simply haven’t done enough this season. We have to capitalise on any opportunity that might present itself.
“If something does open up for us, we need to take advantage. If it doesn’t, we still need to take care of business, first and foremost.”
Kilmarnock closing in on safety
Kilmarnock are a team transformed under the guidance of Neil McCann, whose arrival in early January has seen them win four games – they’d picked up just two league wins before his arrival – including back-to-back victories over league leaders Hearts and relegation rivals Livingston. A dozen points clear bottom spot, they’re now level on points with tenth-placed St Mirren – and just three points behind Aberdeen.
“They’re really dangerous,” said Gray, the former club captain adding: “I thought it was a real positive result in the last game. I think the job Neil McCann's done since he's went in has been brilliant.
“Obviously, beating Livingston gave them a real boost and pushed them a lot closer to where they need to be. It'll be a difficult challenge here because, similar to the Livingston situation, they're fighting for their lives to try and make sure they're not in that play-off spot.
“But, again, we have our own aims and priorities. We need to focus on what we still want to achieve this season.”