New unbeaten home run needed to keep Hibs at business end of Scottish Premiership - starting now
Defeat to Rangers ended 16-game undefeated streak in front of home crowd
How do Hibs respond to losing a remarkable unbeaten record at Easter Road? By putting together another impressive series. Starting with Saturday’s visit of Dundee.
Prior to their loss to Rangers last time out, David Gray’s men had gone 16 league games without defeat in front of a home crowd. A run that stretched back to November last year.
As they return to Easter Road for the first time since that October 29 defeat to Rangers, a hard-fought game that saw visiting keeper Jack Butland save a late penalty, Gray is eager to rebuild the fortress mentality that repelled all domestic challengers for so long. And, if possible, sprinkle a few more wins into the mix of dogged draws.
Kilmarnock draw a painful example for David Gray
The former club captain admitted: “Yeah especially at home, it’s been a long time since we lost in the league; only the Rangers one in the last year, almost. But we've probably dropped a few points along the way, even during that run.
“So if you ask me to think about the record, we've not quite seen games out at times. And part of that has happened at home.
“The Kilmarnock game (a 2-2 draw in his team’s first home game of the current Scottish Premiership season) sticks out for that, when you've been a couple of goals to the good and you don't get over the line. So it can certainly still improve.
“But it does show that it is a difficult venue for away teams. And we want to make it an even more difficult place to come.
“We want teams to come to Easter Road knowing that it can be a factor, that our home record has been good. And it’s going to need to be if we want to be as successful as we think we can be this year.”
Edinburgh club sitting third in Scottish Premiership
Hibs emerge from the international break sitting in third place in the Scottish Premiership, having signed off with a 3-0 thumping of St Mirren in Paisley just before the interruption. They’ve only lost twice in six games – away to league leaders Hearts and at home to Rangers, both tight contests settled by just a single goal.
But they’ve drawn half of their league games in the current campaign. Gray knows how crucial the coming week of hectic SPFL action – not just Dundee at home but Motherwell away on Tuesday night before reigning champions Celtic visit Easter Road on Sunday week – could be for his team.
He explained: “I think if you ask every manager in the country, they'll say: ‘Well maybe I dropped a few points here and there …’ I know I say it all the time.
“But I'm certainly not going to mump and moan about things that have happened in the past. We need to keep moving forward.
“The big result I think was the last one. To go into the international break with three points away from home, the manner of it as well, a 3-0 win at a really difficult place to go, strengthens what we've been saying internally.
“It reinforces how we've been feeling within the group, and sets us up nicely now for the next run of fixtures. They're all difficult games now – everyone should know that just by looking at results across the league this season – but it’s an opportunity to get back at home after a break, try and kick on and build on the momentum that's starting to develop now.”