Gray Reflects On 'Cruel' Derby Defeat

Hibernian Head Coach David Gray was extremely disappointed at full-time after the Hibees fell to a 1-0 defeat in the Edinburgh Derby. 

There was very little between the teams on the night, with few chances throughout the 90 minutes in what was a cagey Edinburgh Derby from start to finish. 

But it was the hosts who claimed all three points after Tomas Magnusson's 88th-minute strike following a quick free-kick in the closing stages. 

Speaking to Hibs TV after the match, Gray admitted it was an incredibly bitter pill to swallow.

"It's extremely tough to take. There is a massive element of almost déjà vu, from losing a goal right at the very end. The game that was pretty scrappy, pretty fast, pretty frantic, as you’d expect. There wasn't a great deal of quality within it, but I thought if anything, we probably shaded it. If anyone was going to score, I felt like it was going to be us.

"I thought we’d coped with their set pieces, we coped with the physical threat and we restricted them to very little. But we switched off again at a quick free kick and that’s the bit that’s hugely frustrating." 

Gray was particularly frustrated with the manner of the goal we conceded after switching off at a vital moment.

"I think (the goal) is avoidable from our point of view. It’s a quick free kick. Whether it’s a foul or not, it’s irrelevant. 

"There’s enough that happens after it that we can control. We turned our back, when you need to stand over the ball, slow the game down and make sure everyone’s in organised positions. Then we don’t stop the cross and we allow a runner into the box and don’t block the shot or get tight enough - that was the problem. We didn’t do the basics well enough for 90-plus minutes. We had done it for 89, but not to the very end.

"The effort was there, but that is bare minimum required every week, especially in a derby. You need to be able to stand up and win the fight and compete. I thought we did that (in parts), but if you can’t do it for 90-plus minutes, that is the challenge.

"That’s the basics of football that you need to be able to do until the final whistle goes, that is what’s let us down again tonight. We probably got pulled into a game that I’d have liked us to have a bit more composure and play a little bit more.

"Football can be cruel. I don’t think we deserved to lose the game. I thought there was nothing in it. But unfortunately, we’re coming away with that feeling of extreme disappointment because we lost the game.

"This really hurts and it’s going to sting. There’s nothing I can really say, scream and shout, or pick the bones of right now that’s going to make anyone feel any better at this moment in time. We have to recover as quickly as we can and get ready for a tough game this weekend."