Hibs 'hope' built on self-help, not blind faith - gaffer's rallying cry ahead of St Mirren clash

Pray to God, but row away from the rocks. While there might be some debate over the exact provenance of that particular nugget of wisdom, it certainly applies to any team in a crisis.

However confident Hibs may be that this calamitous campaign will eventually turn round, everyone involved know that things don’t just happen of their own accord. If they’re to climb off the foot of the Scottish Premiership table, they’ll need to give fate a bit of a nudge in the right direction.

“We don’t just hope that it’s going to change,” said David Gray, the rookie head coach adding: “I can't just show the positive stuff and say it will turn.

“We are doing a lot of things right. But you still need to show the areas where we're letting ourselves down and what can we do to improve that.

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“The only thing that's consistently happening at the moment that we can't shy away from is we're conceding goals later on in games.  So how can we rectify that? The decision making, being more clinical in the final third will certainly help that.

“We need to look at where we are in games and where we can be better. That's what gives me the belief and confidence to know that it's going to turn – the actual attitude of the players every day, and their determination to stick by it.”

Against a St Mirren side who turned them over 3-0 in Paisley on the opening weekend of league action, Hibs understand the value of even a scrappy, lucky, take-it-and-run victory. With four points separating the teams lying from sixth to 12th in the table, there is potential to move upwards at a rapid rate.

“I think that's kind of been the message in the last wee while really,” said Gray, “You see the league, how tight it is and how quickly the narrative can change.

“You just said that with two wins where could we find ourselves? We need to take the three points.

“As I say, I've felt we've done enough to get that against Dundee United last weekend. We're not going to dwell on that.

“But you need to take the three points. That's the first thing you need to get. We know we need the results. We need them quickly.”

Hibs could be without a recognised centre forward for a game which is as close to must-win as you get at this stage of a season, with Dwight Gayle still working his way back from a hamstring strain that ruled him out of the last two fixtures, Mykola Kuharevich suspended and Kieron Bowie on the long-term injury list. Gray was coy yesterday on asked whether former Newcastle and Crystal Palace striker Gayle, who has trained all week, would be fit enough to start against St Mirren.

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He said: “To start? I can't tell you that one, unfortunately. I'm not naming my team obviously at the moment. Is he available for selection? I think he's came through training again today and he'll be part of the squad. We've not made any decision on that yet just purely because of the nature of where the group's at, at the moment.”

Lewis Miller trained yesterday, the Aussie looking to bounce back from the recurring ankle problem that flared up in the 1-1 draw with Dundee United, Gray saying: “We'll just see if he's available because he's still feeling it to an extent. But I think it's been an ongoing issue with Lewis that he's had for a wee while that he's been managing. Credit to him. He's been putting himself through the pain barrier to try and help the team.”