Hibernian head coach David Gray is under mounting pressure after a chastening week in which the club's European ambitions collapsed and their league form has deteriorated sharply. Ten days after Hibs were minutes away from reaching the Conference League league phase for the first time in their history, they were knocked out by Gent, then lost the Edinburgh derby to Hearts, and followed that with a limp 2-0 defeat by St Johnstone in Perth, leaving supporters openly frustrated with Gray and his squad.

Gray admitted his side were "passive, gambling and guessing" in defence as they conceded twice, including a needless penalty, and accepted responsibility for the loss, which extended their run without a win to 18 league games when conceding first. Senior players including captain Martin Boyle and summer signing Jason Kerr were singled out for poor performances, while pundit Charlie Mulgrew said the team lacked any discernible tactical identity, contrasting them unfavourably with a St Johnstone side who netted twice through Josh Fowler.