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Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
David Gray not too downhearted despite Bolton defeat
Hibs head coach David Gray admits his players could have been 'better' during yesterday's defeat to Bolton Wanderers at Easter Road. However he was pleased to see former teammate Darren McGregor honoured at his Testimonial Match, and remained buoyant despite the off-day against English League One opposition. Two second-half strikes sealed the win for the visitors as Hibs struggled to impact the game as much as Gray and his coaching staff would have liked. After the final whistle he said: 'It wasn't our best, most fluent performance by any means. We all know that. There's a lot of improvement to come. 'We've got a lot of hard work still to be done and we've got a really good game to look forward to on Thursday. 'I'm really happy with our pre-season, but today I think we can be miles better. We know the areas we can be better in. 'We'll be back in on Monday and we'll need to make sure we are bang at it to improve.' It was a competitive encounter between the two sides, with Steven Schumacher's side offering Hibs a tough, physical test in torrential conditions. According to Gray, the difficulty of the fixture was no different to other pre-season matches so far however, but instead just a different style to play against. 'When you look at all of our games in pre-season, they have all been difficult games. 'The standard of the opposition we have took on, that is all with European games in mind because of the variety in teams you can potentially face. 'Today was more of a domestic challenge we would face week in, week out in Scotland – which is high intensity and very aggressive. 'I'm not getting too downheartened by what I have seen. A lot of good work has been done and I'm happy with the fitness levels of the players.' Gray also touched on Darren McGregor's warm reception at Easter Road, with the current Hibernian Under-19s Head Coach and former Hibs centre-back's service to the Club celebrated with a Testimonial Match. The two defenders both won the 2016 Scottish Cup together, with Gray only having great things to say about his former teammate. 'It's a special day for Darren and his family. I wish we had a better result for him but, on the whole, for what he has done for this Club, it was a fitting testimonial and I'm delighted to be part of that for him. 'As I've said, it is a special day for a special person who has given a lot to this Club. It's his childhood club, the team he grew up supporting and he has spoken very honestly about what this Club means to him. 'He deserves all the praise and accolades he's had over his time at Hibs, because he has certainly left nothing out there for them.' Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Darren McGregor grateful to still be at Hibs
Darren McGregor is 'grateful' to still be at Hibs, 10-years after joining his boyhood heroes. The former Hibs defender, and current Under-19s Head Coach, reached 10 years with the Club this summer and was granted a testimonial for his excellent service to the Club. He watched on at Easter Road Stadium with his family and friends as Hibs went down 2-0 in a competitive encounter to Bolton Wanderers. 'I am really, really grateful,' he told HibsTV. 'I came here as a fan at the age of 29 and I've been lucky enough to stay here for 10 years. 'I've been a player, a mentor and a coach. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be at a club I've been a supporter of since I was a kid. 'And I'm grateful to still be here trying to influence the next generation and try and get as many younger lads into the First Team as possible.' Daz, who was initially intending to play in match, was able to walk out with the match ball alongside his family, as well as speak on the pitch at half-time alongside a number of fellow Hibs heroes. On a special day for the 2016 Scottish Cup winner, McGregor insisted all that mattered was his family enjoying the occasion and making memories for the years ahead. 'My kids can't quite remember me playing, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing! 'But for them to see the pitch today, to have the strip with my name written on the front of it which is a wee memento for them. 'In years to come, they can always look back and say, 'My Dad got a testimonial at the Hibees'. That is the most important thing for me.' Plenty has changed at the Club since Daz's time as a player at Easter Road, but these changes are all for the better according to the man himself. 'The Club has came on leaps and bounds. You only need to look at the infrastructure. 'You look at the pitch, the stadium, the fan experience, the training ground – which massive investment is being put into, which is largely down to the Gordon family, who have been unbelievably kind and generous to Hibs – so hopefully we can get success, because ultimately that is what you want. 'You want to play European football, win cups and finish as high in the league as you can. I think with this squad, having seen it, there is two players for every position. 'We are definitely in a good place.' Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hibs transfer update provided on key star as he faces Europa League race against time
The Hibs boss has been talking after a friendly with Bolton Wanderers. Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hibs head coach David Gray says Lewis Miller is in a fitness race ahead of Europa League second round qualifiers with FC Midtjylland - as he addressed his transfer situation. The club legend watched on as his side played out a friendly with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday for Darren McGregor's testimonial. A 2-0 defeat was inflicted on the home side but all attentions now turn to Thursday's first leg in Denmark, where Hibs will look for a positive result to take back to Easter Road. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Saturday's clash handed extended minutes to several first team stars and also provided a chance for record breaking signing Thibault Klidje to get involved. Speaking after the game, Gray provided an update on Lewis Miller, the Australian defender who missed the game after injury in a recent friendly. There has also been reported interest in his services and Gray says the lure of Europe is all that's on his mind currently. What David Gray said after Hibs vs Bolton Wanderers Gray said: 'He obviously picked up a knock against Essen. We thought it was just a contact and a little bit of that. Expecting it just to be a couple of days. Unfortunately it's proving to be a little bit more than that. Nothing too significant, we hope. He's actually moving and feeling a lot better. It's improving all the time but rather than being a couple of days it's looking like maybe a couple of weeks. 'But Lewis being Lewis I know what he's like. He's always keen to try and get back as quick as he can. He's usually one that you'd always have to manage to make sure you're not taking unnecessary risks with him as well. Plus they love the lure of European football that he's desperate to get involved in, clearly. We obviously won't be taking any risks with that. In terms of his own personal transfer situation I know there's been a lot of talk around it just now but his focus is because he has picked up that knock and injury he's desperate to try and get back and get back on the team.' Hibs vs Bolton Wanderers friendly verdict Gray also says it will take time for new striker Klidje to get fully up to speed. He said: 'Fitness-wise he's had his own pre-season over in Switzerland which has been positive for him. He's only really trained with us on Friday which is why it was obviously limited minutes today and we don't want to take unnecessary risk. We need to get eyes on him really and see exactly what that looks like. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He's obviously not done a full pre-season with us but as you've seen, he's sharp, he's fit, he's available but we don't want to be pushing too quickly too soon with the risk of what that actually looks like. So he's only had one training session with us which was yesterday and he'll benefit from a full week leading into Thursday.' Gray added on the friendly clash ahead of a trip abroad: 'I think immediately when you look at the scoreline, it's clearly not ideal from that point of view. What I thought as a whole reflection is the whole position we've faced during pre-season, all the games are all leading up towards peaking on Thursday. I am happy with how preparations have went, result and performance aside on Saturday. I think the players know that as well, we've been speaking about that. I do think we're a little bit in between in terms of how we've set up against a variety of opposition that I think has been beneficial for what we could potentially face in Europe. 'Different styles, different levels of opposition, if you think back to Ajax and Bournemouth for example, and different ways of playing against these types of opposition. I thought we were a little bit in between, so that was probably a real good test in terms of playing against a team that's hungry, aggressive, physical, which we face domestically very often. So that was something that I felt we were a wee bit in between from being at our fluent best and positionally and the way we wanted to press maybe wasn't quite as aggressive as we'd like to be in certain things. 'And then within that there was obviously loads of individual errors and things that come that you'd much rather see in a friendly game today than on Thursday. On the whole, how pre-season went, where the level of the players are at, I'm happy. We know we need to be miles better than we were today, so I'm delighted that's happened today rather than Thursday. But Thursday is a completely different occasion, it's a brilliant thing to look forward to and it's the rewards for last season. So I'm sure come Monday all the players will be coming in desperate to put today's result and performance behind them and trying to get into that team for Thursday because right now it's about making sure you're in that starting XI if you can be. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I spoke a lot about the group and the togetherness and the feel-good factor and what comes from winning games which is clearly momentum but also the togetherness within it. I think I felt that coming back in pre-season. The rewards for last season is European campaign. So everyone has been working hard and everything has been geared towards Thursday night which is one that now there's no distractions between now and then. There's no games in between. It's full focus on Midtjylland and the challenge that's going to bring. I feel we know we're in a good place and we know where we still need to improve clearly and I know the players will respond from what happened and we'll make sure we're ready to go on Monday.'
Edinburgh Reporter
3 days ago
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Hibs host Bolton Wanderers this afternoon in Darren McGregor's testimonial
Hibs host Bolton Wanderers this afternoon for a pre-season friendly at Easter Road Stadium in Darren McGregor's Testimonial match. The match will kick-off at 2pm and will commemorate McGregor's magnificent service to the Club as both a Scottish Cup-winning defender and as the head coach of the Under-19s side. While McGregor can sadly no longer play in the match, he will still meet supporters inside Easter Road Stadium, and in the hospitality suites, alongside walking out onto the pitch for an interview to thank the Hibs fans for their support. Bolton Wanderers will compete in the English third tier this upcoming season after finishing eighth last season, with a tough end to their 2024/25 league campaign seeing them place two spots outside the promotion play-off positions. Aaron Collins, the Wanderers' 2024/25 top scorer, has since departed for MK Dons, though the English club have brought in Sam Dalby, who Hibs fans will recognise from his loan spell at Dundee United last season. Steven Schumacher's first team squad have played three friendlies so far this summer, most recently defeating Barrow 1-0 just four days after defeating South African outfit Orlando Pirates 2-0 in Marbella, Spain. The last time the two sides met was in a pre-season friendly back in 2007! Steven Fletcher opened the scoring for the Hibees with David Murphy and Abdessalam Benjelloun also on target at Easter Road. Tickets are priced from £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. Please note, all 2025/26 Season Ticket Holders will receive a special discount for this fixture as part of their benefits package. Please note, tickets are only available in the West Stand for home supporters. Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hibs exit confirmed as player leaves Easter Road with glowing David Gray message
Hibs have confirmed the exit news ahead of a friendly with Bolton Wanderers. Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hibs have confirmed an exit from the playing squad as a summer reshuffle continues at Easter Road. Ahead of Saturday's friendly with Bolton Wanderers for Darren McGregor's testimonial, the club have signed striker Thibault Klidje for a record fee. Jamie McGrath, Raphael Sallinger and Josh Mulligan have also been signed up in preparation for the new Premiership season plus Europa League second round qualifying action vs FC Midtjylland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There is also room for exits and one of those has now been sealed. Allan Delferriere joined Hibs in 2022 and has made nine appearances for the club, spending time out on loan at Edinburgh City, MFK Vystok and Racing FC Union Luxembourg. An agreement has now been reached to see him walk away from his current Easter Road terms. Why Allan Delferriere is leaving Hibs Head coach David Gray said: 'Allan needs to be playing at this key point in his career and we are not able to give him that opportunity here. He's a good person who always worked hard and had a smile on his face, so I would like to thank him for all his efforts. We wish him all the very best for the future.' A club statement adds: 'We can confirm that Allan Delferriere has left Hibernian FC by mutual consent. The 23-year-old has agreed a deal with the Club and departs with the best wishes of everyone at the Club. The Belgian defensive midfielder joined Hibs in February 2022 and made nine appearances in all competitions. Delferriere also spent time on loan at Edinburgh City, MFK Vystok and Racing FC Union Luxembourg.' Thibault Klidje first words as Hibs player One player Hibs fans will hope to see in action against Bolton is Klidje, who has had a work permit approved and is now eligible for selection. Speaking on his move, there was initial shock, but the opportunity at Hibs was one the striker previously at Luzern could not refuse. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He told club media: 'The move came as a surprise for me, but to sign for a big Club like Hibs was very special! Now I am here, it feels great, and I hope I can contribute as much as possible. I was told about the project here at Hibs, what the Club wants to achieve, and I learned a bit about the City. I quickly realised Edinburgh is a very beautiful city and I am excited to join. 'I arrived at training this morning, and everyone has been very nice and made me feel welcome. I have met a lot of my new teammates, all the staff and it has been a great introduction. Everyone is very friendly, and I have enjoyed it a lot! I like to base my game around strikers that have a strong mentality, have pace and fight hard for the badge. It will be a pleasure to play at the Stadium for the first time. I can't wait to get started, to play for the fans and to develop my own game here in Scotland. I am here to enjoy it.'
