Hibs keeper verdict - what gaffer Gray had to say about struggling No.1 ahead of derby clash with Hearts

Hibs keeper Josef Bursik has received a “100 per cent” endorsement from under-fire gaffer David Gray, with the gaffer insisting he still has total belief in his shell-shocked No. 1. The former England Under-21 star has endured a torrid start to his one-year loan stint with Hibs, coming in for criticism for a number of errors in judgement as Gray’s men slumped to the foot of the Scottish Premiership table.

Burisk was at the heart of last weekend’s injury-time collapse at Tannadice, the goalie implicated in Dundee United’s equaliser – and completely culpable for the winner in an agonising 3-2 loss. Gray, who insists players are competing for starting places all over the field, doesn’t sound like a manager inclined to make a major change between the sticks for Sunday’s first Edinburgh Derby of the season.

Asked if he was tempted to stick or twist with Bursik, Gray declared: “One hundred per cent, I believe in the goalkeeper. It's why you put a group of goalkeepers together. I've got a good coach at the club as well working hard on it all the time. 

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"Josef has at times made wrong decisions but he's also made some very good decisions as well, so I've not lost any faith in him at all. He's training very hard.

"One thing I do know is when a goalkeeper makes a mistake or an error in judgement, usually they're punished more often than not. It's about obviously reducing that as much as you can.

"But that goes right through the whole team. It starts right with the centre forward, if he doesn't hold the ball up at one time, making sure we properly demand from each other a little bit more and making sure we're all on the same page. It's making sure we're staying together and making sure we're all pulling in the same direction."

Explaining some of the conversations that have taken place in the aftermath of last weekend’s collapse, and with one eye on the chance to change the entire mood by beating Hearts at Easter Road on Sunday, Gray said: “I think sometimes you don't need to say too much, with the disappointment straight after the game, then when you see what faces you ahead, when the players come back in, there's been that anger, disappointment at the start of the week. But also the opportunity that sits in front of us. 

“I've really felt it this week in training. A little bit of bite in training, people are chomping at the bit to try and get into the team because we're not winning games, so everybody's putting their hand up trying to get into the team. It's been really healthy this week from that point of view. 

"Every day when the boys come into training, they need to know that you need to train as well as you can and try and stake a claim and get into the team. I think no one can say they're safe to play every week.

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"At the same time, when I strip it back and look at the performances, or individual performances, yes, we're getting punished a lot for individual errors or decision-making at times - but I think as a collective we need to stay as strong as we can.

"That's the one thing I would credit the group for. We do need to hold each other accountable so there needs to be individuals standing up and taking accountability for mistakes when they happen- but also digging out your mates.

"The most important thing throughout this whole process is sticking together and working harder and staying on side. I say this every week - the team that starts is very rarely the team that finishes. It will be everybody involved required to make sure we get the right result this weekend, and I know nobody wants that more than the group of players."