Hibs 'mentality' demand as Easter Road side urged to match late-scoring Celtic's never-say-die attitude
Assistant boss Liam Craig will travel to Europa League tie against Stuttgart in Glasgow tonight
Hibs boss David Gray has been hammering home the need for his players to compete deep into stoppage time, as the Easter Road side head to Celtic Park for a meeting with reigning champions building a fearsome reputation for scoring at the death.
Gray’s men have struggled with conceding goals at crucial stages during phases this season, with the recent derby defeat at Tynecastle a case in point. The Hibs gaffer even referenced that today, as he looked ahead to Sunday’s Scottish Premiership contest - and the challenge of matching Celtic’s ‘mentality’ deep into stoppage time.
Martin O’Neill side never quit
Gray, asked if playing to the final whistle would be crucial against a Hoops side who netted a 97th-minute winner in their comeback victory over Kilmarnock last weekend, said: "Yes, I think it has been. It's something we talk about all the time.
“I think the Hearts game is a brilliant example of that. And then Celtic won right at the very end against Kilmarnock, right in the last minute of the game. I think as long as the game lasts, you need to be at the top of your game right to the very end.
“And you need to have the belief and confidence to go there and get results. If you don't have that before you even get on the bus, then you're wasting your time going along.
"The message for us this week is making sure we've got the right mentality and the right attitude going into the game, with the belief and desire to actually change history in a positive way. And why can't this squad be the team to go and do that?”
Hibs aiming to break 16-year hoodoo against Celtic away
Hibs haven’t beaten Celtic away from home since January 2010, with the Edinburgh side having drawn just FIVE of their 22 visits to Celtic Park over the past 16 years. The most recent of those draws came earlier this season, however, as Gray’s men dug in for a hard-fought 0-0.
The former club captain, who will have assistant Liam Craig watch tonight’s Celtic v Stuttgart game in person as he follows the action on TV, acknowledged: "It'll be a very big challenge as it always is. History tells you that as well. It's been a long time since a Hibs team went there and won.
“They'll be very well organised, and they've got that mentality to go right to the very end as we've seen in recent weeks. They've signed some new players as well, so they're going through that period of trying to get players minutes and get them up to speed. Obviously they've got their game tonight that they need to contend with first before they move on to us.
"I'm not going to go tonight, actually. I'll be watching on the TV. We have got Liam Craig going tonight, so we'll obviously be watching closely, as you would expect.
“We'll be watching that and ensuring that we're going into the game in the best possible frame of mind off the back of a real positive result and performance last weekend. It's been another week on the grass for the players, and a couple came back as well, so the group's getting healthier.
"Joe Newell was back on the grass today. They're all going in the right direction and by the end of next week, there might be another couple as well. Chris Cadden, and Grant Hanley are not too far away now as well.
"The big focus has been on us this week as well, so we're just trying to keep building forward and keep that momentum going and that feel-good factor that you get from winning games of football, like we did last week. It's been a wee bit stop-start recently, so we want to try to build on that momentum a bit."