David Gray is facing a defining moment in his managerial career at Hibs. Thursday's seismic second leg against FC Malisheva is now about far more than merely qualifying for the next round of the UEFA Conference League.
Lose this tie and serious questions will inevitably be asked about whether he is the right man to take the club forward. I genuinely believe the situation is that critical. Obviously, no-one outside the boardroom knows whether his job would actually be on the line or not. But one thing I do know is that the pressure on Gray would become immense if Hibs were eliminated by a club operating on a fraction of their resources.
Backdrop of a disappointing first leg
The backdrop into this clash is barely palatable for the supporters. There are bad European nights. And then there are nights like last Thursday night in Kosovo that leave scars. Unfortunately, like the defeat in Andorra to the minnows of Inter Club D’Escaldes three years ago, the sickener last week leaves a deep wound.
Back in 2023, Hibs, under the stewardship of Lee Johnson, managed to turn that shocking defeat around emphatically in the second leg with a 6-1 hammering. In my mind, the current squad will have to do it again on Thursday night because, if they don’t, there is no question Gray will find himself under severe pressure. The 2-0 defeat to Malisheva in Kosovo wasn’t just a disappointing result. It was an embarrassment.
Performance and fan reaction
A team expected to progress comfortably to the next stage were second best from start to finish against opponents few outside of the Balkans had even heard of before the draw was made. In fact, they have only been in existence for 10 years and their average crowd is somewhere between 400-500. That puts the performance and the result into glaring perspective.
Hibs started poorly and it never got much better bar a brief period in the second half when Nathan Lowe had a couple of great chances to score. To tell you the truth, it was sluggish all over the park and you just have to hope that the game sharpens the players up or they come on for the run for what is now a huge second leg in Leith.
Boss Johnson had to deal with some serious flak from travelling fans in the aftermath of that Andorran disaster and there was also plenty of anger and angst in Kosovo. The travelling Hibs supporters made their feelings crystal clear. They booed the players at full-time and emotions spilled over after the match as angry fans confronted members of the squad outside the stadium. That tells you everything about the level of frustration among a support that expected so much more. It wouldn’t have been easy to get to Pristina and these punters shelled out a lot of money to go and watch a very poor and lacklustre show.
Opportunity to turn the tide
The staff and players certainly owe them one on Thursday night and, of course, it can be done, the tie can be salvaged and there can still be a night to enjoy. Hibs have the players to turn the aggregate scoreline around and help to heal the wounds from leg one. European football has provided the cub with some memorable nights over the years. I was part of probably the best one, almost overturning a 2-0 first-leg defeat to Greek giants AEK Athens.
I know the power of Easter Road on a big European night and I’m still supremely confident Hibs can turn this tie around. As I have stated, that first leg in Kosovo won’t be remembered for any of the right reasons, but now Gray and his players have 90 minutes to save not only their European campaign, but perhaps the direction of their season.
If they fail, this defeat will be remembered as one of the most damaging European results in the club’s modern history and rightly so. The fallout from that would be severe and could have a massive impact on the weeks and months ahead. For the manager, it doesn't bear thinking about as, unfortunately, a lot of the supporters have made up their mind on him already. It could be win or bust, which is why I feel it is a defining night for Gray.
