Hibernian exit for Liam Craig, with David Gray new captain

Liam Craig applauds fans at Easter Road after what was his last game for Hibernian

Hibernian have released captain Liam Craig as the Edinburgh club prepares for a second Championship campaign.

The 28-year-old midfielder scored 12 goals in two seasons at Easter Road.

He was part of the team relegated via the play-offs and this term ended in more play-off disappointment, losing to Rangers in the semi-final.

The skipper's armband will now pass to 27-year-old full-back David Gray, who has extended his contract by a year until 2017.

Gray made 34 appearances in his debut season for Alan Stubbs' side, scoring three goals.

"As much as it was disappointing not to achieve our goal of promotion, I'm still very excited about the future and I was desperate to be a part of it," he said.

"Next season we need to make sure that we hit the ground running.

"The manager has spoken to us as a group and told us we need to put down a marker early on and get back to the Premiership as early as possible."

Craig, formerly with Falkirk and St Johnstone, said he was "disappointed" to be leaving.

"I was very proud to captain the team," he said. "I always wanted to finish on a high at Hibs, but unfortunately that wasn't to be."

David Gray spent over five years on the books of Manchester United as a youth player