Hibernian

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• Hearts have scored three goals via substitutes in the Premiership this season, only Hibernian (four) and Aberdeen (five) have scored more.

• Hibernian have attempted 12 shots in this game, with six (50%) from set pieces.

• Craig Gordon has made 5 saves, the first time he has made at least 5 saves in a match in the Premiership since facing Dundee on 11th May 2024 (5 saves).

• Mykola Kuharevich has scored two goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), no Hibernian player has more.

Teenager James Wilson secured a dramatic late point for Hearts at Easter Road to keep Hibernian rooted to the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

Mykola Kuharevich's close-range strike with his first touch following Marvin Ekpiteta's header off the crossbar put Hibs in front in the second half.

Were you at Easter Road or following along from elsewhere? Let us know your thoughts on the game., external

Hibs manager David Gray: "If we keep feeling sorry for ourselves, nothing is going to change.

"We lose a goal late on, so I understand why the feeling is subdued and deflated because I firmly believe we deserve to win the game.

"Hearts had more possession but in areas we were comfortable with. We created more chances, the keeper made four or five big saves and for 99% of the game, we defended our box really well.

"I'm going to have to say the same thing again, which I've said numerous times this season, we've let ourselves down in the final moment with people not doing their jobs."

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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The feeling of elation amongst the fans following their opener most likely gave way to apprehension and unease.

Having once again conceded a late sucker punch, they have now lost 9 points from a winning position in the top flight this season, more than any other team.

They've also conceded eight times in the final 15 minutes of games, again, a greater number than any other side.

Questions surrounding supposed defensive fragility have plagued the club for some time now and it appears to be an ongoing issue despite managerial and squad overhaul.

Their attacking options are experienced and proven options, Hoilett and Gayle both showing signs of real quality today.

It won't be for the want of trying, but the lack of similar players amongst their defensive ranks is an issue that needs to be addressed if they are to hold onto leads.

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Junior Hoilett showed his class at times, particularly with his set-piece deliveries.

Involving him, and Dwight Gayle, more going forward in the right positions will likely be key for Hibs if they are to return to winning ways.

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Hibernian: Bursik, Miller, Ekpiteta, O'Hora, Obita, Kwon, Triantis, Boyle, Youan, Hoilett, Gayle.

Substitutes: Smith, Levitt, Doyle-Hayes, Iredale, McKirdy, Moriah-Welsh, Bushiri, Molotnikov, Kuharevich.

Heart of Midlothian: Gordon, Oyegoke, Kent, Rowles, Penrice, Spittal, Devlin, Boateng, Dhanda, Vargas, Shankland.

Substitutes: Clark, Kingsley, Halkett, Grant, McKay, Forrest, Wilson, Boyce, Forrester.

Under-pressure Hibernian head coach David Gray accepts that his legendary status at the club as their Scottish Cup-winning captain will not be enough keep him in a job if he does not turn their fortunes around. (Sunday Mail), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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• Hibernian have won just one of their last 11 Edinburgh derbies against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership (D6 L4), a 1-0 victory in April 2023.

• The away side has only won one of the last 10 Scottish Premiership meetings (three home wins, six draws), with Hearts winning 1-0 at Easter Road in December 2023.

• Hibs have lost each of their last three league games; they last lost four in a row in April 2023 – a run they ended by beating Hearts.

• Hearts picked up their first league win of the season in Neil Critchley’s first game in charge last weekend, beating St Mirren 4-0. The last Hearts boss to win both of his first two Scottish Premiership games in charge was Robbie Neilson in August 2015.

• Excluding penalties, no side has scored more goals from set-piece situations in the Scottish Premiership this season than Hearts (six), with this making up 60% of their total league goals (6/10).

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Hibs captain Joe Newell is suspended but Nectarios Triantis returns following a ban. Nicky Cadden and Chris Cadden are battling to prove their fitness while long-term absentees Kieron Bowie (hamstring)and Jake Doyle-Hayes remain on the sidelines.

Hearts hope to have midfielder Beni Baningime back after illness but Yutaro Oda is expected to remain on the sidelines, along with Gerald Taylor and Calem Nieuwenhof.

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David Gray wants struggling Hibernian to relaunch their season with a derby win on Sunday.

The Edinburgh sides are separated by just a single goal at the bottom of the Premiership, a position the beleaguered Gray admits is ‘not good enough’.

But despite Neil Critchley having recorded two impressive wins since taking charge at Tynecastle, Gray believes form is not necessarily a factor going into Sunday’s crucial clash.

“I think sometimes the derby goes against the form guide,” he said.

“It can go against who’s playing better, who’s got the better team on the day, or what you think going into the game.

“The one thing I’ve always thought going into these games is you need to believe you can win. That’s key, regardless whether you’re home or away.

“I already know what’s at stake, having played in them, experienced them. The players should be really looking forward to it. They should really look forward to the challenge. This is why you come and play here.

“It’ll be a full house at Easter Road and we really need the fans to be right behind us, which I know they will be,” he said. “They can really play a part in driving us at the start of the game.

“I’ll never forget coming back to Easter Road in the Scottish Cup run we had, the way we started the game with the fans right behind us really gave us an extra bit of motivation and drive. I really felt it on that day.

“We need it to be the same way again, right from the first whistle on Sunday.”

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Hibernian captain Joe Newell is suspended, but fellow midfielder Nectarios Triantis returns following a ban.

Winger Nicky Cadden and right-back twin Chris Cadden are battling to prove their fitness, while long-term absentees Kieron Bowie and Jake Doyle-Hayes remain on the sidelines.

Hearts hope to have midfielder Beni Baningime back after illness, but forward Yutaro Oda is expected to remain on the sidelines along with Gerald Taylor and Calem Nieuwenhof.

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Martin Boyle has "no doubt" his former team-mate David Gray can lift Hibs out of the doldrums and make a success of his managerial tenure.

The Easter Road side sit bottom of the Scottish Premiership table with just five points from eight games.

They welcome Hearts on Sunday for the first Edinburgh derby of the season with both teams under pressure after a poor start to the new campaign.

"I have no doubt in my mind that the gaffer will be successful here," Australia forward Boyle said.

"Albeit it's a results business and it can be ruthless, I have no doubt.

"We have the belief in him that we can turn this around. We have a group of players that will do it. Hopefully we can do that on Sunday. Not only for us, the fans, but for him because he deserves it.

"It's never nice seeing anyone lose their job, I've been there a few times. I'd certainly run through a brick wall for the manager, he knows that. He can lean on me and I can lean on him.

"With the trust he's put in us, we need to start giving more. That should be 100% given. When you put on this shirt, you have to give everything for this football club. We need to start doing that."

Boyle believes the derby is the perfect chance to ignite Hibs' season and improve relations with the fanbase.

"Football is mad, especially in this league, it can turn on its head quickly," he said. "If you can get a little run together you can be straight back up that table. Ideally that's what we want to do.

"Hopefully we can get a positive result this weekend and get the fans back on side and show them how much this club means to us. There's no better game than an Edinburgh derby. It's a massive one, probably the biggest one in years. It should be a tasty one."

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Scottish football has had to wait until late October for the first Edinburgh derby of the season and, as ever, there's a lot going on in the capital.

Hibernian replaced Hearts as the Premiership's bottom side last weekend after a lead away to Dundee United turned into a late defeat.

Meanwhile, back in Edinburgh, Hearts were recording their first league win of the season in Neil Critchley's maiden match in charge.

They followed that up with a solid midweek Conference League win over Omonia Nicosia - making it two wins out of two in that competition for the Tynecastle side.

Critchley could further endear himself to supporters and put some daylight between Hearts and their city rivals with victory at Easter Road.

In the opposing dugout, Hibs head coach David Gray is aiming to avoid a fourth straight defeat. His side have been on target in two of those games, but keeping clean sheets is becoming more and more elusive.

A fascinating contest awaits.

Read all the weekend Premiership picks

Hibs head coach David Gray has reminded his players they are paid to win football matches. (Record), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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David Gray has shrugged off suggestions of a crisis at Hibs before Sunday's bottom-of-the-table Edinburgh derby.

Hibs are rooted to the foot of the Premiership with just five points from their eight league games, while city rivals Hearts are above them only on goal difference.

Despite three successive defeats Gray insists things will change for the better.

"No, it's not a crisis," Gray said. "I think it needs to be better, we all know that. I've said to the players, we're not looking for excuses at all.

"We're not using the fact that we went down to 10 men in the last two games as an excuse for not getting results in the last two. Does it play a factor? Of course it does. I think momentum in games, there's all sorts of things that go that way against you at times.

"But we also know what's in the group. We know how good we can be when we do get it right. I've still got that firm belief in everybody involved that we will turn it around."

Gray wants his players to use the energy of a sizeable home crowd on Sunday, but says they cannot allow their judgement to become clouded.

"You need to be calm in the chaos," Gray added. "You can't allow your emotions to get the better of you, or be reckless in the game. It's using the momentum and the motivation of what's at stake and feeding off the crowd.

"That's something I always loved as a player. The extra noise and enthusiasm to drive you forward can be a real bonus. We need to make sure we have that.

"The players should be really looking forward to it. They should look forward to the challenge, this is why you come and play. These are the games you remember forever."

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Hibs head coach David Gray has been talking to the media before his side's league meeting with Edinburgh rivals Hearts on Sunday.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

• Says there has been "bite" in training this week after the "anger and disappointment" of last weekend's defeat at Tannadice.

• Thinks it is "decision making" rather than discipline causing problems for his side after recent red cards. "All you can do is address the issues and try to learn from them."

• Insists there is no crisis despite Hibs sitting bottom of the Premiership. Stressed his belief in the group of players he has and is "very confident" things will turn around.

• On the derby, Gray called for his players to be "calm in the chaos", while also feeding off the energy of the Easter Road crowd.

• Says belief was central to wins he had against Hearts as a player, and these are the games you remember forever. "The players should look forward to the challenge, this is why you come and play."

• Joe Newell is suspended, while Nectarios Triantis comes back into contention. Chris Cadden is a doubt after picking up an injury against Dundee United, but brother Nicky "is getting closer all the time".

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

It's never easy being a football fan when your team are regularly performing poorly.

These trends, however, tend to change over a season or two and when things begin to look good, those dark days can easily be forgotten.

But at Easter Road in recent years the dark clouds have been hovering around for much longer than most anticipated.

Jack Ross was sacked at the club in December 2021 just 10 days before a Scottish League Cup final against Celtic.

This was a decision that the now sadly deceased owner Ron Gordon admitted later he got wrong but it is from this point on the club have regressed.

Shaun Maloney, Lee Johnson and Nick Montgomery have all tried and failed to take the club back to where they belong.

In between managers David Gray was asked to hold the fort. He was the obvious candidate. A club legend after his goal-scoring heroics in the Scottish Cup final against Rangers in 2016.

So, when he had proven his talents as a coach it seemed an easy choice to make for the board to hand him the job this summer on a permanent basis.

However, for whatever reason it has still not had the required positive effect.

This Sunday, though, he can buy himself some time with a win against Hearts.

These are the most important games of the season for the supporters of both clubs and regardless of league positions a win will be celebrated as much as any cup final victory.

But lose and you are in trouble. And if you combine a defeat with a perilous position in the table then the doubters have even more ammunition in their locker.

Like most managers, they rely on players to help them. But Gray has been hindered by poor decision making from some of his senior pros in recent weeks.

This has to change quickly, otherwise the pressure will forever increase on those at the top of the club. And we all know who normally pays the price at a club for failing to win games of football.

The president of stakeholder Black Knight FC, Tim Bezbatchenko, has spent a week reviewing Hibernian's operations at their training ground. (Record), external

Hibs head coach David Gray believes the side can counter suggestions they are soft by beating Hearts in Sunday's Edinburgh derby. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Gray is not doubting his methods after a tough start to the season. (Football Scotland), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Sunday’s Edinburgh derby is a "good one" for struggling Hibs to "get their teeth stuck into", says former Easter Road midfielder Kevin Thomson.

The Edinburgh side sit bottom of the Premiership after Saturday’s late collapse at Tannadice, which followed defeats to Rangers and Motherwell.

Hearts, who are second bottom and level on points with their city rivals, travel to Leith having beaten St Mirren 4-0 in Neil Critchley’s first game as head coach.

As pressure threatens to build on Hibs boss David Gray, Thomson feels this weekend's derby presents a good opportunity for the manager to kickstart his reign.

“Is it a good one for him? I think it is,” he told BBC Scotland. “A lot of Hibs fans will be hiding behind the sofa, but it will good one for the team and the manager.

“Hearts’ tails will be up, but it’s a good one for Hibs to get their teeth stuck into.

“There's no doubt results have been poor. They’re not making it easy for themselves, but when you get the weekend's game out of the road, it’s a good run coming up that they should be picking up points in.

“If they don’t, they'll be in a tricky position.”

Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

Hibs slumped to another defeat that left us at the foot of the table after a total capitulation at Tannadice on Saturday.

Leading 2-1 heading into the closing stages, Joe Newell’s second yellow card saw momentum shift in the hosts' favour and two injury-time goals gave United the three points.

We only have ourselves to blame. From Newell's rashness in the challenge to some calamitous defending and goalkeeping, Hibs snatched defeat from the jaws of victory yet again.

It's a worrying habit for David Gray. His side have competed well in most matches this season but find themselves rooted to the foot of the table, albeit with a game in hand over second-bottom Hearts.

Fans' fury in the immediate aftermath of the match saw fingers pointed at Gray, Malky Mackay, Ben Kensell and Ian Gordon. In truth, it's hard to unravel just who to blame for the current shambolic state of affairs.

Changes were made in the summer, Mackay was brought in and he promptly confirmed Gray as head coach. Almost a new team was signed - with only a handful of the side that failed miserably last season remaining - yet we have again gone backwards.

Hibs now look forward (ahem) to the Edinburgh derby on Sunday with pressure mounting on the squad to buck the trend and get back to winning ways.

Matty Fairnie can be found at the Longbangers podcast, external