Hibs in 'best possible frame of mind' for Hearts test - Gray confident despite injuries to key men in Dons win

Hibs boss David Gray says his team are in an ideal mental state to take on Hearts at Tynecastle on Boxing Day. But he’s warned that no-one should be resting on their laurels after today’s stunning win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

Speaking after the 3-1 victory over Jimmy Thelin’s high-flying Dons, Gray addressed his team’s derby chances as he said: “It puts you in the best possible frame of mind going into the game - but a derby is a derby. Form goes out the window. It's all about the team that settles the best, the team that performs best on the day.

“I know that's a bit of a cliche, but these are games that every player should look forward to. They're the greatest games especially a Hibs player to play in, away from home at your local rivals.

Hostile atmosphere

“It'll be a hostile atmosphere, but if you can't get up for this one, then as a football player, you needn't be asking questions about that. It's one they should all look forward to, that's for sure.”

Hibs will face an injury sweat ahead of the trip to Gorgie after both Warren O’Hora and club captain Joe Newell limped out of action in the second half, Gray revealing: “Well, Warren, if you remember against Ross County, he came off in the game with a bit of an ankle issue. At half-time it stiffened up a bit, and was because of that, struggled to run it off a little bit.

“So we'll just have to wait and see if he recovers, but credit to him for the way he put his body on the line. We'll just see if he recovers.

“Joe is too early to assess it, but just felt a little bit of a knock, so we'll see how he goes. That'll be the key for everyone in the squad, to be honest, because you had Lewis Miller (injured) as well, you had a few bumps and bruises naturally, and with so many fixtures coming up, it's about rest and recovery as much as you can.

“But the players will certainly be feeling a lot better about themselves with three points, and the level of performance they put in, and how hard they had to work. You need to enjoy these moments as well because of that.”

Star man Boyle shines

Hailing the efforts of Man of the Match Martin Boyle, who marked his first start since early November with a goal and two assists, Gray said: “Yeah, he was excellent. He's found himself out of the team for a bit, but he's responded in exactly the way that you'd want anyone to respond, especially a senior player as well, the number of games he's played, how important he's been for his football club for a number of years.

“So he's had to be patient, he's had to keep working hard, but he's always had that quality. I think you've seen that at this level, he's always been able to affect games with his pace, he's directness, but his quality as well.

“The end product he's got, which he's delivered again today, his goal involvements for the season, as much as he's not been at his fluent best, he's had to keep working hard and be patient.”