GONE JOHN SILVER
HIBS
DAVID GRAY insists Hibs won’t have their Europa League ambitions derailed even if Celtic lure John McGinn away.
The ongoing transfer saga moved from centre stage to a sideshow as attention focused on a farcical victory over Runavik in the Faroe Islands on Thursday night.
After a crazy 6-4 win in the fog sealed a 12-5 aggregate triumph, Greek Superleague side Asteras Tripolis await in the second qualifying round.
And Gray is adamant his team-mate’s future won’t determine their fate.
Two bids from the Hoops have been kicked out but all the signs indicate an increased offer is imminent.
Gray watched McGinn run the game against Runavik and admitted his presence in the team against Tripolis is now in the lap of the gods.
He said: “If you lose a player like John he will be difficult to replace. He is a fantastic talent and one of the best young players coming through.
“But we have a really good squad and I’m sure there is work going on in the background to make sure that, if he does move on, the manager can bring people in to strengthen. We have a good core, confidence levels are high and we can’t wait for the next round.
“If John stays then we know exactly what we’ll get. He will be the same player and character as always.
“If he moves on then the best of luck because he deserves it for being brilliant at Hibs.
“Even if he is not having a great game you know you will get 100 per cent effort.”
Safe passage into the second round was secured against Runavik but not before some shambolic defending allowed the part-timers to race into an early two-goal lead.
Gray said: “It wasn’t a great start but we reacted well and got back into it quite quickly.
“We’re delighted to get through but a bit disappointed with how we played.
“The manner in which we lost the goals was disappointing and there is a lot of work to be done before the start of the season. We know that but the main thing is we’re through.
“When you find yourself 2-0 down so quickly, regardless of how the first leg went, then alarm bells start to ring and you know you need to get back in the game. It was about reacting and trying to win the game.”
The challenge for Neil Lennon’s side now is to make the step up in class when the Greek Superleague side arrive in Edinburgh for Thursday’s first leg.
Gray said: “It’s easy to look for
“We can’t defend against anyone like that, never mind the Greek side. We conceded four goals and you will get punished at any level for that.
“Hopefully it acts as a bit of a wake-up call and we can get back to working hard and correcting the mistakes.”
One of the few positives in the Faroes was the performance of Stevie Mallan with the former St Mirren kid’s stunning shooting power delivering a spectacular late double.
Gray isn’t surprised the midfielder has hit the ground running and said: “Stevie is a fantastic addition. I remember playing against him and every time he shot, he seemed to score! A few cracking free-kicks were among those.
“It’s brilliant he has managed to come in and do it straight away for us. It’s no fluke, he practises them all the time and gets what he deserves.”