In the space of a week, David Gray went from being criticised to being cheered by Hibernian supporters.
There’s no doubt the head coach was under strain after last week’s dismal outing in Kosovo.
Travelling fans made their anger clear following the 2-0 first-leg loss to Malisheva, which left Conference League hopes hanging by a thread.
Gray accepted that both the result and the performance were below standard, and said the only proper reply had to come on the pitch.
On Thursday at Easter Road, with Hibs 4-0 up on the night and surging toward an aggregate win, the home crowd sang Gray’s name.
His legend is secure thanks to that Scottish Cup final winner, but this ovation was about his team’s reaction to adversity.
Hibs exploded out of the blocks, driven by the indefatigable Martin Boyle, and wiped out the two-goal arrears inside 15 minutes.
By the time Boyle weaved past a cluster of defenders to make it 4-0, it looked like Hibs could do no wrong.
There was a late lull and Malisheva pulled one back, but Gray preferred to emphasise the positives afterward.
He said the plan was to play with intensity and intent from the start—attack forward, run forward, and get the crowd involved—and that the players produced exactly what he’d seen in training. He felt they should have been out of sight, noting they hit the frame twice and missed several big chances.
While the late goal added a touch of anxiety, he insisted the team fully earned the result and expressed his delight for the players.
Asked about any sense of relief, Gray admitted that winning feels different as a coach than as a player: the relief is brief, and then it’s straight on to the next game.