Edinburgh derby outcome not driven by form - Gray

David Gray wants struggling Hibernian to relaunch their season with a derby win on Sunday.

The Edinburgh sides are separated by just a single goal at the bottom of the Premiership, a position the beleaguered Gray admits is ‘not good enough’.

But despite Neil Critchley having recorded two impressive wins since taking charge at Tynecastle, Gray believes form is not necessarily a factor going into Sunday’s crucial clash.

“I think sometimes the derby goes against the form guide,” he said.

“It can go against who’s playing better, who’s got the better team on the day, or what you think going into the game.

“The one thing I’ve always thought going into these games is you need to believe you can win. That’s key, regardless whether you’re home or away.

“I already know what’s at stake, having played in them, experienced them. The players should be really looking forward to it. They should really look forward to the challenge. This is why you come and play here.

“It’ll be a full house at Easter Road and we really need the fans to be right behind us, which I know they will be,” he said. “They can really play a part in driving us at the start of the game.

“I’ll never forget coming back to Easter Road in the Scottish Cup run we had, the way we started the game with the fans right behind us really gave us an extra bit of motivation and drive. I really felt it on that day.

“We need it to be the same way again, right from the first whistle on Sunday.”