LOCAL HEROES
David Gray says Hibs will ‘impose’ themselves on Hearts as he aims to mark derby anniversary by breaking unwanted record
The Easter Road boss takes his team to Tynecastle tomorrow with an unwanted record that has now lasted five years.
DAVID GRAY has challenged his resurgent Hibernian side to make it three wins on the spin with a first Edinburgh derby triumph at Tynecastle for exactly five years.
After a dire start to the campaign in which they spent time at the foot of the Premiership, the Hibees have eased their predicament over the past month by collecting 10 points from their last five matches.
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Gray's side head across Edinburgh to face city rivals Hearts buoyed by notching back-to-back wins for the first time in more than a year after 3-1 victories over Ross County and Aberdeen.
He said: "One thing you can't do is get carried away, but it's a game that every single player should look forward to.
"It's the best game in the calendar, it's the one that all the fans talk about, and rightly so. We're going into it in the best possible way with really good back-to-back wins, which is the first time we've done that since December 2023.
"Now we've got the opportunity to try and improve on that, so that has to be the challenge."
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Hibs have won only one of their last 15 meetings with Hearts and have not won at Tynecastle since Boxing Day 2019, when Martin Boyle scored a double in a 2-0 victory.
"I didn't know that was exactly five years ago so hopefully that's a good omen," said Gray, who missed that game through injury.
The manager and former captain admitted five years is "absolutely" too long for Hibs to have gone without a win at the home of their great rivals.
Gray said: "I think of some of the games and performances and maybe opportunities we've had over the years going there, but history also tells you it's a difficult place to go.
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"It's about trying to go there and impose ourselves on them. For a Hibs player there's no better place to go and play and win a game of football if you can do it."
Given Hibs' poor form in the fixture, both in the short and longer term, a trip to Tynecastle represents another test of their character.
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Gray feels they have already answered questions about their mentality in recent weeks and is confident they can do so again on Boxing Day.
He said: "It's something that has been labelled at this squad for a long time, especially this season.
"But we've responded, certainly in the last few weeks, about being tested on the character front. We've come through that, and we're definitely going into the game with belief.
"I've played in numerous ones of these before and we need to be ready for a real tough test. But it's one that every single player should look forward to. I know the fans will be looking forward to it, and hopefully we can go there and get three points."
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