'Hurt' Hibs stung by derby loss - reaction to defeat at Tynecastle as leaders Hearts claim another late winner

‘Hurt’ Hibs boss David Gray admitted that his team had been stung by the ‘deja vu’ experience of another Edinburgh derby loss to Hearts. But the Easter Road gaffer insists there is still plenty to play for despite a defeat that leaves them stranded in the no-man’s land just inside the Scottish Premiership top six, yet trailing in the race for guaranteed European places.

Speaking after seeing his team lose a second consecutive Tynecastle clash to a late, late winner, substitute Tomas Magnusson’s 88th-minute goal tonight following on from Craig Halkett’s injury-time strike here back on October, Gray admitted: “ I think this is obviously going to hurt. It's going to sting because of the nature of the goal, especially against your local rivals.

“The latter stages, right at the very end of the game. Absolutely nothing in the game, again.

“We need to move on quickly. It's a new-ish group, there are some new players who we have added to the squad in January.

“I think we've still got an opportunity to finish the season strong with the players we've got. But it takes complete performances, and that's what's let us down tonight.

“We didn't do it for the complete 90-plus minutes. But we've got no time to feel sorry for ourselves.”

Asked if his team had contributed to their own downfall by switching off at a free-kick leading to Tomas Magnusson’s winner with 88 minutes gone, Gray harked back to the previous trip to Gorgie as he said: “I think that's quite a fair assessment. I thought there was a real element of déjà vu, to be honest.

“We've been here before, with nothing in the game, and then switching off from a free kick on the halfway line, turning back, then allow an easy cross and then allow a free shot in the box. So it's definitely avoidable from our point of view, which is hugely frustrating.

“But if you don't do the basics until the final whistle, 94 minutes, whatever it was tonight, that's what cost us tonight, because I thought within the game, we certainly didn't deserve to lose it. But unfortunately, we're in the same position we found ourselves the last time we were here.

“We restricted Hearts to very little. Their set pieces have always got that threat, they force you to defend. I thought we defended them for 90 minutes, switched off for one wide free kick, didn't stop the cross and that's what cost us the game tonight.

"I think I'd have liked to have seen a little bit more quality at times. There were a couple of moments in the game where maybe the final pass let us down.

“Big chance in the first half, I think, when we break on them and Felix Passlack has it – a huge moment. Certainly as the game went on, I felt like if anybody was going to win, I felt like it was going to be us.

“Now, it's easy to say that when you're standing at the side, but it certainly felt like that. I thought we had good elements of control in the game. Would I have liked us to have more quality? Yes. I thought it became scrappy.

“These games are quite often like that – very scrappy, very fast, very frantic. But I thought, as I say, we dealt with that quite well. But we're going home with nothing, which is what makes it even more frustrating.”

Nerves not a factor for new boys

Gray, who said it was too early to assess an impact ankle injury that saw Deadline Day signing Munashe Garananga limp off with just under 15 minutes remaining, believes his team still have plenty to play for. And he insists that nobody in the away ranks – including five players experiencing the fixture for the first time – showed signs of being overawed.

“I think players will be nervous at different stages of the season,” he said. “All you can do is focus on yourself internally and try and be the best you can be. I think when you look at the games we've got coming up, the opportunity we've still got in front of ourselves, we're still capable of putting a run together and making sure we finish the season as strong as we can.

“I don't think it's a case of the players being nervous tonight. I don't think I saw that in the game. There were a lot of players making their debut in the derby, but I thought they handled that well. So I don't think it's a nervous from that point of view.

“It's about making sure you keep improving, making sure you stick together after nights like tonight. That's one thing I would say.

“It was really tough to take. The players are certainly hurting, as you'd expect. It's my job and the staff's job to make sure we get them up and ready for the next one. That's all you can do, just make sure you learn from it as quick as you can and try and get better in the next one.

“Can we catch the team in front of you? We've got a chance at the weekend. Our home form is good. We need to make sure we maintain that.

“A big game against St Mirren, if we can go and win that, obviously relying on our results. But there's still a lot of football to be played. There's still an opportunity to try and catch the teams in front of us, and that's what we'll be doing until it's not possible.”