Hibernian head coach David Gray was delighted with the way his side responded to last week’s loss against Kelty Hearts by beating Peterhead comfortably and progressing to the League Cup knock-out rounds.
Goals from Lewis Miller, Rudi Molotnikov and Nathan Moriah-Welsh secured a 4-0 win for the Hibees at Easter Road as they topped Group C ahead of Queen’s Park.
“Job done, topped the group, which is what we had to do,” Gray told club media. “A good reaction from the disappointment at Kelty.
“Maybe first half we should have been a couple more goals ahead. I mentioned that at half-time, we can’t be having five, six, seven chances to convert.
“But the fact we are creating chances is very positive and the reaction from the players was very good.”
Gray praised the way his players added intensity to a game in which they needed to score as many goals as possible and they ended up topping the group by a single strike on goal difference.
“We needed to score as many goals as we can to make sure we did [win the group],” Gray added. “It was pleasing to keep a clean sheet, we reduced them to very little if anything.
“These afternoons can be frustrating. I’ve played in games like this where it’s a bit slower, and it’s up to us to drive the intensity. Second half we were much better with that but still a wee bit wasteful.”
The new head coach also praised 18-year-old midfielder Molotnikov, who added to his goal against Queen’s Park earlier in the group stage.
“He’s doing really well at the moment, playing with a real spring in his step. He’s bright, he’s bubbly.
“He’s someone enjoying his football, but we need to keep pushing him and working him hard to make sure he’s getting to the levels I know he can get to.”
David Gray,Kelty Hearts,Rudi Molotnikov,Lewis Miller,Nathan Moriah-Welsh,League Cup
