Former Hibs boss Alan Stubbs believes his old side can secure third place in the league this season, and cap a remarkable turnaround by head coach David Gray.
Stubbs was the manager who signed Gray for Hibernian 11 years ago, and the pair shared one of the most famous moments in the club’s history when the club captain scored an injury-time winner in the Scottish Cup final.
The Liverpudlian is now admiring from a distance as Gray has come through a tough spell earlier in the season to steer Hibs into a run of form that’s seen them rocket up the Premiership table.
Wins over Celtic, Dundee United and Hearts in the last two weeks have moved the team into third and Stubbs thinks they can stay there despite tough opposition.
“I do think they can,” he said, “It’s not going to be easy, because they’re going to be put under pressure .
“I think Aberdeen seem to have got over their big slump and look like they are coming out the other side and going to put them under a bit of pressure.
“And I think there are enough teams to keep Hibs on it, in terms of keeping this run going.
“Obviously Hearts have turned it around by the looks of it and are starting to come up the table as well. I’m pretty sure they’ll finish strong.
“It’s not going to be easy.
“But if he did manage to do it from where they’ve come from, it’s a fantastic achievement.”
Before attention turns back to the league, Hibs take on holders Celtic in the Scottish Cup quarter-final this weekend. The trip to Glasgow will pose a tough challenge for Gray and his players but Stubbs believes Hibs’ recent 2-1 victory at Easter Road will be on the mind of both squads.
“This is as tough as it gets for David,” Stubbs said.
“You’re going to be playing against a team that has had an unbelievable season. But it’s a potential 90 minutes plus extra time and anything can happen.
“What Hibs have done is planted a seed of doubt in Celtic’s minds. ‘We can beat you’.
“Dave’s already done it once, but the question is, and this will be a barometer of where Hibs are, can they do it again? It’s okay doing it once, and it doesn’t happen all the time, but to do it again will be a huge testament of how far Hibs have come.
“When they came off the pitch on Sunday, you could see how much all the players are behind David. You don’t go 13 or 14 games unbeaten just by luck; there has to be a real togetherness and I think that was so evident on Sunday.
“It was impressive, and I thought straight away, ‘You’ve got something going there’.”
You can watch Hearts v Dundee and Celtic v Hibernian on Premier Sports with an STV Player+ subscription. Find out more details here.
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