Hibs in 'room to improve' assessment as gaffer Gray bemoans cup record amid vow to review frustrating season
European hopes resting on Celtic Scottish Cup win over Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline
David Gray insists he’ll spend part of the close season engaged in a serious review of a campaign that ended in frustration for his Hibs team. And he admits that “improvement” is needed – especially in pursuit of silverware.
Gray acknowledges that failure to progress in knock-out competitions was a particular source of disappointment in his second season as Easter Road gaffer. Tomorrow will be the tenth anniversary of the club’s hoodoo-busting 2016 Scottish Cup triumph – the last time they lifted a major trophy.
Beating Partizan away a Euro highlight for Hibs
Hibs kicked off 2025-26 with a rollicking European adventure, pushing mighty Midtjylland all the way in the Europa League and knocking Partizan Belgrade out of the UEFA Conference League, thanks in large part to a stunning away win in Serbia, before pushing Legia Warsaw to extra time in the Polish capital. On the domestic front, Gray’s men also became the first Hibs team to do the Old Firm away double – beating Celtic at Celtic Park and Rangers at Ibrox in the same season – since 1984-85.
But they failed to back up last season’s third place finish, ultimately falling short in their bid to secure a guaranteed return to European football by missing out on fourth place to Motherwell. Their hopes of earning a spot in the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round now rest on Celtic winning the Scottish Cup on Saturday.
Despite Dunfermline making it all the way to this weekend’s season finale at Hampden, Hibs losing to Neil Lennon’s side at East End Park in January remains a source of annoyance to Gray. Fans were equally frustrated, meanwhile, by their team’s inability to capitalise on a crisis at Rangers – still under the guidance of Russell Martin – in a quarter-final loss in Glasgow.
No time to reflect during season
Gray, admitting that he’d had little time to reflect on the bigger picture while the season crashed towards its closing act in Sunday’s home loss to Motherwell, said: “It certainly went very quick. If I think back to the European stuff, that seems like just yesterday. So the season has gone very quick.
“The cup form we've had hasn't been where we've been used to having as well. So there's always room to improve. There's always areas to improve, definitely.
“I've not really stopped to reflect at this point just because of that full focus and wanting to keep moving forward and keep trying to ... I suppose we were chasing Motherwell for so long about trying to finish as high as we can.
“I know it's something I've done at the end of last season. And I'll certainly be doing it in the next coming days and weeks, which is when you sit back and reflect.
“I think that's when you sit down and slow down a bit and think about it. Because it does happen so quickly, even finishing with three games in a week, and there's so much riding on the games that it does become very full on. So it is important that you take that time for reflection.
“It's something I've definitely done at the end of last season - and needed to. I needed to have that little break because it was certainly an introduction to my first year in management, as you just touched on, from the start we made to where we finished.
“And then this season, starting off with some real memorable nights, away from home especially, that have been fantastic days and nights. Added to frustrating ones as well.”