Revealed: How Hibs players reacted to mouthy Midtjylland boss Euro boast - and what they plan as a response

Hibs players took careful note of Midtjylland boss Thomas Thomasberg’s dismissive assessment of their threat to his team’s European chances. And you’d better believe they’re motivated by a desire to give the Danish “big hitters” a bloody nose.

Goalkeeper Jordan Smith, who reported back for pre-season training earlier than scheduled because he was so eager to get stuck into a campaign laden with promise, said he and his team-mates had been discussing Thomasberg’s casual response when asked if his team would see off their Scottish opponents, the experienced coach declaring: “Yes, of course we will. We will also advance to the next round in the Europa League.”

Those comments have been discussed in the first team dressing room at East Mains since the bulk of the squad reported back for pre-season last Friday. There is a feeling, among the group, that their proven record of winning big games last season – victories over both Celtic and Rangers, dominating the derby and getting over the line in the race for third place with a fixture to spare – should have earned them greater respect.

Ex-Forest goalkeeper Smith: ‘We need to prove Danes wrong.’

Smith, raising the topic himself when asked about a third qualifying round tie that sees Hibs head to Denmark on July 24 before the return leg at Easter Road a week later, said: “That's the thing with Europe - there's a lot of teams that you've maybe never heard of. Obviously, they're big hitters over in Denmark.

“And we've been made aware of the comments of what their manager has said, and he feels like it might be an easy job to do. But for us it's a case of we need to prove him wrong. That probably makes the manager's team talk a little bit easier.

“We're just quite looking forward to it and as long as we carry on the form, the momentum and the camaraderie really that carried us through last season, then I feel like we give ourselves every chance. Ultimately we want to show what we can do on a bigger level, on a bigger scale.”

Asked how the chat about Thomasberg’s assessment had gone, Smith explained: “It was just spoken about in the dressing room, a little bit tongue-in-cheek. They're experienced in Europe. There's no secret about that.

“So that's probably an expectation of theirs, which is absolutely fine. They're entitled to think whichever way they think is right.

“But we've got an approach and a way we go about things, and I think we're very professional in how we approach every single game. No matter who it is that we're playing.

“Thinking back to the Ayr game last season, potential banana skin in the Scottish Cup and everyone's half expecting Hibs to do a Hibs, which is a phrase that I'm not very keen on, but I've heard splattered about. It doesn't matter who's in front of us, there's an opportunity to go out there and win, and the prize for doing that is so much greater this year. So I think that's what we're trying to achieve.”

Pointing to the big wins over top opponents, Smith added: “I feel like we really showed up in those games. The adrenaline's probably pumping a little bit more, which arguably makes it a little bit harder to concentrate, but I feel like we did that.

“We were given a game plan by the manager, and we executed, which is why we got those good results at really good times and that showed the level that we can compete at. And we want to do that more often. We made no secrets about that.

“All we've done now is really given ourselves a platform to go and prove that more often. So, it's up to us now to go and show that.”

Extra training inspired by Europa League chance

Revealing the extra effort he’d put in to prepare for the new campaign, the former Nottingham Forest prospect said: “I've actually been coming in before we were officially returning. It’s exciting times for the football club and for us as players.

“If you've not got that mindset of wanting to get back to it now, then you're never going to have. I came in between my holidays, because we've got to cram them in over the summer, and I came in this last week before the Friday testing.

“Just doing whatever I can, to be honest. It's really hard to emulate goalkeeper training and the physical demands of being a goalkeeper without an actual goalkeeper training session.

“It's been more general fitness and general gym work. It’s being professional to try and give myself the best platform to come back and hit the ground running really which is what I want to do.

“Being a 30-year-old, it's something I've got to keep on top of, certainly a lot more than when I was 22, 23. The first and second beer go down really easy. You start questioning yourself on the third one!”

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European football is obviously an extra lure for everyone at Hibs. Even if Aberdeen’s shock win over Celtic in the Scottish Cup final saw the Dons claim the guaranteed Conference League entry that, in different circumstances, would have fallen to David Gray’s men.

“With the European football, we had a bit of disappointment, obviously, after we broke up, but we soon got over that,” said Smith, the well-travelled keeper adding: “We've got a job to do and might have to go about it the hard way, but it sounds like that's the Hibs way anyway. We'll do what we can and try and get as far as we can and give the fans what they're ultimately wanting, which is the European adventure

“Last season we went toe-to-toe with those teams who've competed in Europe and done well in Europe. I think back to the Rangers games in particular last season, we really gave them good games every time that we played them - and obviously we beat them at Ibrox.

“So, we certainly can't fear anything. I think that's the ultimate thing. We've got to enjoy it, but we've got to perform to the level that we know we're capable of and find out where this adventure might take us.”

Your next Hibs read: David Gray’s personal European odyssey - including a mad dash from maternity ward to Molde