David Gray insists that Hibs are going to Ibrox tonight with the sole focus of picking up three points to keep hopes of a top four finish alive.
Hibs enter the final week of the season four points adrift of Motherwell with two games to play – starting with a trip to Ibrox to play Rangers, before entertaining Motherwell on the final day of the season at Easter Road.
Gray’s men go into this one off the back of an impressive 3-1 win away at Falkirk last weekend, and he is eager to build on that momentum in what is another ‘must-win’ game.
“I think that’s the key to it – the feeling off the back of that result at the weekend keeps everything alive,” Gray told Hibs TV.
“In terms of the attitude and mindset of the players is we will go along to Ibrox and try to get three points to keep it alive for that fourth place.
“I think the game plan is to try and win every single game we go into, but clearly, within the stage of the game, depending on results, it might be that a point’s no use, so we really need to be across that as well.
“But the mindset, as I’ve already said, all the preparation that’s gone into the game tomorrow night is about giving ourselves the best chance to win the game. There’s a difference – we need to win the game to keep it alive. It’s very different to wanting to win. Both teams want to win, of course they do, but the actual need to win is certainly there for the players.
“I think the players got what they deserved on the day for their efforts and what they put into it. It was a big performance under real pressure, as I spoke about.
“Even then, when you look ahead to Ibrox, we’re five points ahead of Falkirk now and there are two games to go. If they were to win both games and we didn’t pick up any points, then that’s not done either.
“So I think it’s very much about making sure that we control our level of performance and control what we’re doing. Yes, we’re relying on results going our way to catch Motherwell, but firstly we need to do our job.”
Rangers are third in the William Hill Premiership after three defeats on the spin ended their title hopes. Despite this, Gray is expecting a reaction from the Gers and is anticipating a tough test.
“It’s a difficult one because a lot has been said about the fact Rangers can’t really go anywhere now in terms of finishing third. But up until two games ago, Rangers were well in a title race, which shows you the level of performance they’ve had this season.
“It’s still a difficult place to go. Players will be playing for their futures, as they always are, especially towards the end of the season. So it is very much a difficult task – we know that.
“But as I’ve already said, the full focus and everything we’ve worked on this week is about how we can go there and give ourselves the best chance to win. I think the players are looking forward to it off the back of a really positive result.
“The frame of mind the players are in, certainly confidence levels, are high, and you just need to go there and give the best account of yourself you can.”
