Hibernian

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

The first 10 minutes would have encouraged the travelling Hibs fans, but it soon became a story they have seen many times before.

Looking lively through Martin Boyle, 18-year-old Rudi Molotnikov, and the rampaging Lewis Miller, a few missed chances saw the heads go down and the visitors retreated deeper and deeper.

The second St Mirren goal came from a defensive mistake, Marvin Ekpiteta the guilty party, and it became a truly familiar afternoon. The third soon followed and the promising opening stage was a distant memory.

Gray has a lot of credit in the bank. He is a local hero, the man who gave Hibs fans their best day, but if performances don't improve from the Nick Montgomery era, he will see his stock dwindle quickly.

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Rudi Molotnikov. The 18-year-old was the only bright spark for Hibs, looking confident when taking his man on in the first-half in what was his first Premiership start.

Martin Boyle was lively too, but too often drifted out of the game for spells.

St Mirren: Balcombe; Rooney, Fraser, Gogic, R Taylor, Tanser, Adeniran, Boyd-Munce, Idowu, Olusanya, Ayunga.

Substitutes: Urminsky, Iacovitti, Kenny, Bwomono, Brown, F Taylor, Smyth, Scott, Mandron.

Hibernian: Bursik, Miller, Ekpiteta, O'Hora, Obita, Moriah-Welsh, Newell, Campbell, Molotnikov, Boyle, Vente.

Substitutes: Smith, Levitt, Cadden, Amos, McKirdy, Megwa, Tavares, Bushiri, Kuharevich.

Fulham are considering a number of loan and permanent options for Kieron Bowie, with Hibernian keen on the Scotland U21 forward, along with QPR, Barnsley, Peterborough, Wrexham and Wigan. (The Mirror), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

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“I need to step up now. I’m not a kid anymore."

Josh Campbell is not messing around.

The 24-year-old is preparing for a, personally, "massive season" where he steps up as a senior figure within the squad.

Following the departure of club legends Paul Hanlon and Lewis Stevenson over the summer, Campbell, who joined the club’s academy system aged eight, finds himself cast as the longest-serving player at Easter Road.

However, attacking midfielder Campbell is aware he must start leading from the front by delivering on the promise he has shown in recent seasons on a more consistent basis.

“It’s a massive season for me,” he said. “I need to step up now. I’m not a kid anymore, albeit I still feel like I’m a kid around the place!

“I want to add numbers to my game, I want to be more vocal around the place, I want to help people out and help younger boys like Rudi (Molotnikov).

“The manager’s put that pressure on me a wee bit [to be a leader]. I’ve been here long, I know the place.

“Me and Boyley (Martin Boyle) are the longest ones here now and the pair of us have been asked to step up and help the new guys that have come in.”

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• For a second successive season, St Mirren will face Hibernian on matchday one, after the Buddies won 3-2 on the opening matchday last term.

• Hibernian have only lost one of their last 10 Scottish Premiership visits to St Mirren (W7 D2), a 1-0 defeat in August 2022.

• St Mirren have won on matchday one in three of their last six Scottish Premiership seasons (D1 L2), although lost the last time they played at home in their opener in 2022-23 (0-1 v Motherwell).

• Hibernian have won on matchday one in six of their last seven Scottish Premiership seasons, although the exception was their 3-2 defeat at home to St Mirren last term.

• St Mirren only won one of their final nine league games of last season (D2 L6). Indeed, since the beginning of this run in mid-March, their five points was the fewest picked up by any side in the Scottish Premiership.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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BBC Sport Scotland have been taking a look at the faces to keep an eye out for in the new Scottish Premiership season.

Here's who to look out for at Easter Road.

Warren O'Hora has looked a solid centre-half with decent long passing, has good organisational skills garnered by captaincy experience at MK Dons and, along with the arrival of Marvin Ekpiteta from Blackpool, could be the solution to Hibs' long-standing problems at the back.

However, it is Scotland youth international Rudi Molotnikov who is most exciting the Easter Road faithful.

The 18-year-old midfielder is not a new signing, having made his senior debut as a substitute in last season's Europa Conference League defeat by Aston Villa, but he is only now pushing for regular game time after being loaned out to Stirling Albion in January.

Molotnikov was unable to prevent them being relegated from League 1, but he has returned first-team ready and scored twice and played a lead role in other goals as Hibs qualified from their League Cup group.

Read Clive's full piece here.

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Hibernian head coach David Gray says the club are still working on various transfer targets as the league season beckons.

The Hibees have added Marvin Ekpiteta, Warren O'Hora, Jordan Smith and Josef Bursik already this summer, but have also been linked with former striker Mykola Kukharevych and winger Junior Hoilett, who spent the second half of last season with Aberdeen.

Gray's side start their Premiership campaign away to St Mirren on Sunday, and the 36-year-old expects to have some more new faces through the door before long.

"I don’t like putting an actual number on it but we are light in the forward areas so it’s something we are working hard to try and rectify," Gray said.

"I'm sure there will naturally be movement, ins and outs, with the window being open.

"We are working hard on various targets at the moment, but we are focusing on bringing in the right people. We’re going through the full process, making sure we bring the right type in."

Gray would not be drawn on Kukharevych - who enjoyed a loan spell at Easter Road in early 2023.

"He is a Swansea player and I don’t want to talk about players at other clubs," he said.

However, he was more forthcoming about the links to former Aberdeen winger Hoilett.

"Junior is someone who did really well at Aberdeen last season," Gray said. "He was a big part in their success latterly in the season and he's had a fantastic career.

"He's picked up a wee injury while away with Canada but he’s played at a very high level and I’m sure he’ll continue to have a good career."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hibs head coach David Gray has been talking to the media before his side's Premiership opener against St Mirren on Sunday.

Here are the best bits from his press conference:

• Graye says the club are "working very hard" to get some fresh faces in, but wouldn’t mention any players specifically. He admits they're light in forward areas, but says the club won’t bring in anyone just for the sake of it, they need to be the right signings and right fit for the club. He's hoping there will be movement in the coming days rather than weeks.

• He's happy with the business they’ve conducted so far and says the news faces have added to the group. They've shown leadership and have been training well.

• Gray is enjoying leading the team on a permanent basis and says the big thing for him is that the lads seems to be enjoying it - "it’s a positive place to work and the exciting is building".

• The mood compared to this time last year is "completely different". Gray thinks the new faces have helped with that.

• In terms of the opening match of the league season, he says he and the players need to embrace the expectation that surrounds the club and he naturally wants to start with a positive result this weekend.

• Will be watching St Mirren closely against Valur, wishes them all the best in Europe and was impressed with what they achieved last season.

• Team news: Elie Youan and Harry McKirdy will both miss this weekend's game.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland senior reporter

After a fourth spell in the caretaker role at the end of last season, those in power finally took the plunge and decided to give David Gray the opportunity to lead the club forward.

It wasn't a decision that was saluted by everyone at Easter Road, including recent multi-million pound investor Bill Foley who has gone public recently to say the appointments of Gray and the new director of football Malky Mackay were not to his liking.

But everyone deserves a chance and Gray, along with Mackay, are savvy enough to know how Scottish football works and what is required to be a success in this goldfish bowl of a business.

Ever since the grossly unfair sacking of Jack Ross back in December 2021, the club have stuttered along with a distinct lack of leadership or a style of play.

As every manager in that time has said, everything is there in terms of infrastructure, training base, stadium and the support.

The one thing and the most important part, though, is a winning team and a culture that brings success. Those are the key objectives Gray will be targeting.

Football clubs are like oil tankers taking time to turn, and if the glory days are to return to Easter Road then Gray must be allowed time to build a team and assert a culture that has been missing.

The shock Kelty defeat aside, the League Cup campaign was reasonably successful and there is no doubt they have received the toughest draw of all for the last 16, with a visit to Celtic Park coming up.

But a good start in the league is essential, so this Sunday's trip to Paisley could be the perfect opportunity for the players to show the fans that this season will be different.

Hibs are considering offering Junior Hoilett a return to the Scottish Premiership after the 34-year-old Canada winger left Aberdeen. (Daily Record), external

Swansea City's Mykola Kukharevych, who spent an injury-hit spell with Hibernian while with Troyes, is on a long list of centre forward targets for the Easter Road club and the 22-year-old could be available on loan. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

It’s hard to describe how the pre-season has been as a Hibs fans. A couple of weeks ago I said on the Longbangers podcast that I just wanted a normal season.

I didn’t think that was too much to ask but after the nonsense of last season, the thought of getting through the coming campaign without any major mishaps was just as appealing as a decent cup run.

Hibs, though, had other ideas. Not content with coming a cropper against Kelty in the League Cup, news of a boardroom split between billionaire investor Bill Foley and the Gordon family broke, with the latter, apparently, refusing to listen to the former.

It does go some way to explain why the summer transfer window hasn’t seen the impact of the "game changing" investment that CEO Ben Kensell sold us at the AGM in February, when the investment was voted through.

On the field, leaving Kelty to one side, Hibs have impressed under David Gray, scoring 14 goals across the other three League Cup games, with just one conceded.

Coupled with some impressive pre-season friendly performances, Hibs look in decent shape heading into the season.

Still shy of new players in key areas – notably up front – there is a feeling that Hibs could well struggle despite the apparent improvements that David Gray has made to the style of play since taking over.

With a month left in the window, we have to hope that majority and minority owners can kiss and make up, and then get some new faces into the team.

Predicted league finish: Fifth

Standout player will be: Nathan Moriah-Welsh

Game most looking forward to: Hearts at Easter Road.

Matty Fairnie can be found on the Longbangers podcast, external.

Adding to his forward line is Hibernian head coach David Gray's priority. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Hibs head coach David Gray wants to keep pushing Rudi Molotnikov while ensuring the young midfielder continues to enjoy his football.

Molotnikov, 18, scored in the 4-0 League Cup win over Peterhead on Saturday - his second goal of the group stage - but Gray doesn't want him to rest on his laurels.

"Rudi was good. I think he can move it quicker. There’s still things he needs to work on, we have talked about that," Gray told Hibs TV.

"But he is doing really well at the moment, he is playing with a real spring in his step, he’s bright and bubbly.

"He has things he needs to work on, but he knows that. But he is someone who is really enjoying his football and we need to keep pushing him and working him hard to make sure he gets to the levels I know he can get to."

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Hibernian head coach David Gray was delighted with the way his side responded to last week's loss against Kelty Hearts by beating Peterhead comfortably and progressing to the League Cup knock-out rounds.

Goals from Lewis Miller, Rudi Molotnikov and Nathan Moriah-Welsh secured a 4-0 win for the Hibees at Easter Road as they topped Group C ahead of Queen's Park.

“Job done, topped the group, which is what we had to do," Gray told club media. "A good reaction from the disappointment at Kelty.

“Maybe first half we should have been a couple more goals ahead. I mentioned that at half-time, we can’t be having five, six, seven chances to convert.

“But the fact we are creating chances is very positive and the reaction from the players was very good.”

Gray praised the way his players added intensity to a game in which they needed to score as many goals as possible and they ended up topping the group by a single strike on goal difference.

"We needed to score as many goals as we can to make sure we did [win the group]," Gray added. "It was pleasing to keep a clean sheet, we reduced them to very little if anything.

"These afternoons can be frustrating. I've played in games like this where it's a bit slower, and it's up to us to drive the intensity. Second half we were much better with that but still a wee bit wasteful."

The new head coach also praised 18-year-old midfielder Molotnikov, who added to his goal against Queen's Park earlier in the group stage.

"He's doing really well at the moment, playing with a real spring in his step. He's bright, he's bubbly.

"He's someone enjoying his football, but we need to keep pushing him and working him hard to make sure he's getting to the levels I know he can get to."

Head coach David Gray says he would like to sign a new forward before Hibernian's Premiership opener against St Mirren next weekend. (The Scotsman)

Read the rest of Sunday's gossip.

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Hibs defender Jordan Obita wants to move swiftly on from last Saturday's disappointing League Cup defeat to Kelty Hearts when they face Peterhead in their final group-stage game.

David Gray's side top the group despite the 1-0 loss last time out, and a win against lower-league opposition this time around would take them into the knockout stages.

"We've worked to put things right from the last round," Obita said. "We've got to be positive, get the win and make progress to the next round,

"We let ourselves down against Kelty and we want to put things right tomorrow.

"Most teams that come to Easter Road tend to sit off and make things difficult for us. We've got enough quality to deal with it though and hopefully we can get the win."

Head coach David Gray urges Hibernian to make the most of a "second chance" in Saturday's Scottish League Cup tie with Peterhead after losing at Kelty Hearts last weekend. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip