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Edinburgh Reporter
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
David Gray credits players for third place finish
Last June Hibs appointed 'Sir' David Gray as head coach, but a dreadful start to the season that included a defeat to Kelty Hearts meant the club went into the League Cup knockout stages unseeded. The inevitable defeat to Celtic at Parkhead was followed a terrible start to the league campaign. Individual errors, red cards and the concession of late goals saw points dropped from winning positions against Kilmarnock, Dundee, Dundee United and Hearts. Gray's job looked under threat as the team vied with Hearts at the foot of the table and when high-flying Aberdeen visited Easter Road at the end of November, speculation on his future was rife. But everything changed with Rocky Bushiri's now famous 96th-minute equaliser in the 3-3 draw which was followed by a 3-0 away win over Motherwell. What followed was incredible. A run of 17 league games unbeaten is the club's longest since 1947. The run included two victories over Hearts, the first win at Ibrox in seven years and victory over champions Celtic at Easter Road. Gray won three Manager of the Month awards and for only the fourth time this century Hibs finished in third place. Gray said: 'It's an unbelievable achievement. From where we were, the hard work, the togetherness, everything, going through that adversity, but to manage to secure third place with a game to spare is massive credit to the players. 'They fully deserve it. To a man, they gave me absolutely everything all season, the staff, everybody involved, always believed in the group. And we've had the rewards for that. 'I'm also delighted that the club showed the faith in me during that difficult time. Going through that period, I found out a lot about myself, but also, you know, the club had to stay strong during the moments. Because the points return at that stage was nowhere near good enough and I knew that I was responsible for that. 'I think we fully deserve it for what we've done this season. I'm over the moon for everyone.' Scottish Premiership – Hibernian FC v Motherwell FC 11/1/2025 Hibs' Head Coach, David Gray, applauds the fans after Hibs beat Motherwell 3-1 in the Scottish Premiership at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh, UK. Credit: Ian Jacobs Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
17 EFL stars Hearts, Hibs and SPFL clubs could sign for free this transfer window
English Football League clubs often provide a hotspot for Premiership teams to take talent from, with Oisin McEntee signing a pre-contract to join Hearts from Walsall. Last season, Hibs reaped great rewards from signing Jack Iredale and Nicky Cadden following EFL stints while Kieron Bowie fully proved his senior prowess at Northampton Town. So who could be next to join a Scottish side following time south of the border? Looking at 17 options who have recently been deemed as leaving on club retained lists, here are some of the stars that teams in the top flight may look at.
Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Thug Celtic fan attacked man with glass bottle in Glasgow's Gallowgate on way to game
Witnesses reported seeing him flailing his arms around in an attempt to start a fight FOOTIE YOB BAN Thug Celtic fan attacked man with glass bottle in Glasgow's Gallowgate on way to game Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A CELTIC season ticket holder who attacked a man on the way to a game has been banned from Glasgow on matchdays. Sean Connolly, 40, pounced on Jason McGrady in the city's Gallowgate on September 14 2024. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 1 Police witnessed the attack happen at Glasgow's Gallowgate in September 2024 Credit: Alamy Celtic were due to play Hearts in a match Brendan Rodgers' side went on to win 2-0. Fire safety officer Connolly was noted by witnesses to be swinging his arms around in an attempt to start a fight. Prosecutor Jason Black told Glasgow Sheriff Court: "Connolly struck Mr McGrady to the hand with a glass bottle. "He then punched him to the face and body." A member of the public attempted to intervene but Connolly continued to attack Mr McGrady by pushing him onto the road. This was overseen by police officers who arrested Connolly who had travelled to the game from his home in Cumbria. Connolly was taken into custody where he made the reply to caution and charge: "I fought my ground." Mr McGrady meantime was noted to have an injury to his hand but refused medical treatment. Connolly pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr McGrady to his injury. John Kilcoyne, defending, told today's sentencing that the dad-of-one has a "hazy recollection" of the incident. Cheeky Celtic supporters hoist Irish flag at site of Scotland's new superjail The lawyer added: "He is deeply ashamed and disappointed in himself - he has shown remorse and regret." Sheriff Bernard Ablett ordered Connolly to do 176 hours of unpaid work and put him under supervision for nine months. The sheriff also gave Connolly a football banning order as well as the restriction not to enter Greater Glasgow during Celtic home matches for a period of 18 months. He said: "You should understand that this was a serious offence in that you assaulted your victim to his injury. "A bottle was used in the assault and the nature of the offence has been reflected in my sentence. "You have crossed the custodial threshold but with your settled family background and having stayed out of trouble since 2012 I will impose a community disposal." Meanwhile, at the same game, another Celtic fan held by police for shouting at Hearts supporters assaulted a sergeant and was caught with a knife.
Scotsman
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Former Hearts star completes Premiership transfer as he joins ex Jambo at league rival
The latest transfer news from across the Premiership as a former Hearts star joins Motherwell on a two-year deal. Sign up to our Hearts 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... A former Hearts defender has penned a a two-year deal with one of the club's Premiership rivals. Dormer Scotland Under-21 international Jordan McGhee broke through the youth ranks at Tynecastle before going on to make almost 60 first-team appearances for Hearts. After making his senior debut as a substitute in a 3-0 win against St Mirren in May 2013, McGhee remained with the club until 2017 when he joined Championship side Falkirk for an undisclosed fee. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A two-year spell with The Bairns was brought to an end when McGhee joined Dundee during the summer of 2019 and he went on to help the Dark Blues secure promotion back into the Premiership during his second season at Dens Park. After suffering relegation back into the second tier after a one-season spell in the top flight, McGhee played a pivotal role in helping Tony Docherty's side bounce back at the first attempt with a Championship title win. Former Hearts star in Motherwell transfer After making almost 200 appearances for the Dark Blues, there was speculation McGhee has signed a pre-contract agreement with Motherwell - and the Steelmen have now confirmed the 28-year-old has put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal that the club can extend by an additional 12 months. He joins former Hearts man Andy Halliday in Lanarkshire. A statement on Motherwell's website read: 'Defender Jordan McGhee is our latest summer recruit. The former Dundee defender joins the club on a two-year deal, with the club holding the option of a further year. McGhee joined the youth setup at Hearts in 2011 and worked his way through the ranks at the club. In 2013, he made his first-team debut against St Mirren at Tynecastle. It didn't take him long to get off the mark at first-team level, as McGhee scored in just his second appearance against Aberdeen in August 2013. 'Interest in the defender was high, with McGhee receiving offers to move to England; however, he penned a new deal with the Jambos. He moved on loan to Middlesbrough in July 2016. After making 74 appearances for Hearts, he moved to Falkirk in the Championship in the summer of 2017. Over the next two seasons, he would accumulate over 70 appearances for the Bairns and would be named club captain. Following Falkirk's relegation in 2019, McGhee made the switch to Dundee. In his first season, he was voted Players' Player of the Year, and at the end of the campaign, he would be named Club Captain for the second time in his career. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jordan McGhee career in focus 'He scored three goals in Dundee's Premiership playoff matches that played a huge part in the Dee's return to the top flight. Over the course of the next four seasons, McGhee would be used as a utility player across the pitch. Despite Dundee being relegated again, he remained with the club and helped them back to the Premiership. In his final season, he scored a brace against rivals Dundee United at Tannadice to help secure Dundee's first win at Tannadice in over 20 years. In six seasons, he reached just shy of 200 appearances for Dundee, and now he joins the club for the 2025/26 season.' McGhee is Motherwell's second summer signing after they agreed to sign Austrian midfielder Lukas Fadinger on a free transfer from Bundesliga club SCR Altach.
The Herald Scotland
16 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Ex-Hearts captain Steven Pressley named Dundee manager
Pressley has most recently been coaching at Brentford as head of individual player development. He previously managed Hearts as a caretaker in 2005 during a long spell at Tynecastle Park as a player, where he captained the side to Scottish Cup success in 2006. His coaching journey also took in Falkirk, Coventry, Fleetwood, Pafos and Carlisle United. The former Dundee United defender will now lead Dundee, with former St Mirren academy chief David Longwell appointed as technical manager in a restructuring of the backroom staff. Pressley's backroom team will be confirmed in due course, with the manager to cut short a silver wedding anniversary holiday in the Far East to work on recruitment. Read more: Managing director John Nelms commented: 'We are delighted to welcome Steven Pressley as the new head coach of Dundee Football Club. "Steven has spent the last four years at English Premier League Club Brentford and brings with him a shared core value of player development and a rounded approach to winning football. "Steven will be installing a framework that delivers on the messaging that the senior players and the development players are one effective team. This will bring success to Dundee Football Club on and off the park. "Welcome to the club, Steven, and we are looking forward to many successful campaigns. 'We are also excited to welcome David Longwell as the new Technical Manager of Dundee Football Club. "David comes to us with a long and productive history in the development of players both north and south of the border. Player development has always been at the forefront of our club, and with the amount of young emerging talent, it is important that the restructuring of the football department will emphasise this even more. "His main role will be working alongside Technical Director Gordon Strachan and Head Coach Steven Pressley to ensure the concentrated development of the individual player. "David will also have additional roles within the first team set-up. Welcome to the club, David, and we are looking forward to many successes in the future.'
