David Gray admits stunning Hibs revival isn't putting an end to sleepless nights and why he's 'consistently miserable'

The Hibees go into Sunday's derby clash off the back of a 14-game unbeaten run in all competitions

David Gray admits he is still “consistently miserable” despite Hibs’ stunning run of form.

The Easter Road gaffer had a good reason to be grumpy during the first half of the campaign after watching his side prop up the Premiership with one win from 14 games. But they have flipped that and could even climb to third with a victory in tomorrow’s derby on home turf.

But club legend Gray – the hero of their 2016 Scottish Cup Final triumph – admits he is never satisfied and, even though his team are winning, he still barely cracks a smile. Asked if he has sleepless nights as a gaffer, the 36-year-old said: “It’s not even just the night before the game, it’s all day, every day. It’s certainly something I’ve noticed, especially in recent weeks.

“I remember I was speaking to one of the guys, we were talking about the real difficult start, how that was, and the toll that has on me, my family and everything that comes with that. Everybody’s living and breathing it and I’m not the most sociable person in the world anyway, especially around the house.

“So once I went through that period and had a few better results, everybody – especially my wife – was thinking, ‘Oh he might cheer up a wee bit here’. But it just moves on to the next thing. Consistent is probably the right word again, I keep saying that... but consistently miserable is probably right.

“You’re constantly thinking, constantly trying to improve because even if you’ve done really well in the game, there will be areas where you need to improve. You’ve also got players who maybe haven’t played that you need to try to make better every day.

“That’s the big thing, especially for myself and the staff – our responsibility to keep moving players forward all the time, keep progressing and keep making them better. At whatever your age, you can always try to improve them and that is definitely the mindset all of the time.”

Like Hibs, Hearts have gone on an impressive run of form and are only four points further back in sixth spot. It was eighth versus 10th before Hibs ran out 2-1 winners in the Boxing Day tussle at Tynecastle courtesy of Dwight Gayle’s finish 12 minutes from time.

Now both have their sights fixed on third spot but Gray is relishing trying to build on his team’s momentum in the famous fixture. He added: “Clearly the two sides are in very good form at the moment.

“It’s a very different situation to the last time we met. But as I’ve said already this week – and reminded the players as well – that’s irrelevant going into derbies. t’s about understanding the magnitude of the game, which is always there.

“Even if we were in different divisions, the rivalry is there, the competitiveness behind it, what it means to the city, the supporters, and everything that goes with that. It’s a fantastic game to look forward to.”

Gray loved being involved in the all-Edinburgh clashes as a player and has told his own to make the most of these high-pressure games. He added: “It’s probably something I talked about with my dad when I stopped playing – you’re a long time retired, you’ll miss it. These are probably the days when you hear the atmosphere, you feel the noise and the build-up before the game – they’re special moments as players.

“And what you need to do is get the message to the players that these sort of games don’t come around all the time. The moments you get if you’re successful at the end of them are memories I’ve had and they live with you forever.”