Hibernian

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Hibernian will demand a fee in excess of £4m before agreeing to sell Miguel Chaiwa and are in no rush to part with the Zimbabwe midfielder. The Herald, external

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Scotland in North Macedonia

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Jamie McGrath says Hibernian are determined to make history by becoming the first Easter Road side to reach the league phase of a major European competition.

Hibs lead Shkendija 2-1 before Thursday's Conference League third qualifying round second leg, with a play-off round to follow for the winners of the tie - the last round before the league phase.

"No Hibs team's got European group-stage football yet so that's obviously a burning ambition," McGrath, 29, told BBC Scotland.

"I think it'll be a bit of a different game. Hopefully, we can come out with the same result and get into that next round, one step away from where we want to be.

"The longer that we have these experiences as a group, we'll definitely be stronger."

McGrath missed the first leg but featured as a substitute in Sunday's 2-1 Scottish Premiership win at Rangers.

"I'm ready to go, raring to go probably a bit ahead of schedule," he explained.

"I'm delighted to be back for the European games and hopefully there's many more to come. We want to have more trips like this and we want to reward those fans coming over here.

"We don't want this to be the end of the journey, we want it to be only the start of it.

"Hopefully, it'll cool down a bit. It will be similar for both sides. They're used to playing here in the heat and conditions like that so we'll have to factor it in. Hopefully, it won't be too much of a distraction for us."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Scotland in North Macedonia

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Hibernian head coach David Gray has spoken to BBC Scotland before Thursday's Conference League third qualifying round second leg against hosts Shkendija in North Macedonia.

Here are the key points.

• Neither Grant Hanley nor Nicky Cadden are with the squad in North Macedonia. Martin Boyle has travelled and trained on the pitch after missing the weekend win over Rangers.

• Gray remains confident his players can cope with the intense heat and the opposition as they aim to make the play-off round of the Conference League.

• The head coach hopes the team take confidence from the weekend win at Ibrox and their away performances last season in Europe, saying the players "should be feeling good about themselves".

• Gray insists Shkendija showed in last week's first leg at Easter Road they can be dangerous and are not to be taken lightly. He expects the hosts to be "a bit more aggressive".

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Shkendija will aim to make a fast start in intense heat on Thursday, says head coach Artim Pollozhani, as the North Macedonian side look to wipe out Hibernian's first-leg advantage.

David Gray's men take a narrow 2-1 Conference League qualifying lead with them to Skopje and travel buoyed by a late victory at Rangers on Sunday.

"Hibs start the game with an advantage so we want to score early," says the Shkendija boss. "One goal and we will equalise and then try to close the game in 90 minutes.

"The psychological part will be very important. We want to be in the next round, we want to repeat the success of last season in Europe."

Shkendija qualified for the Conference League last term and made it through the league phase before being dumped out by Turkish side Samsunspor in the first knockout round.

Despite that, Pollozhani believes it is difficult to compare his side with Hibs because he considers the Scottish Premiership to be a stronger league than North Macedonia's top flight.

"The Scottish league is a high level, we can't compare it to ours," he said. "What we saw in the Hibs game against Rangers, they used different players in attack.

"The championship is a marathon but European games are about elimination. Maybe the coach believed in the players who played that game or maybe he wanted to save the ones on the bench for this game?

"What you saw is they have a lot of quality. They are very well prepared physically and tactically. So if we don't fight in every part of the pitch we won't achieve our aim."

Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

David Gray took a massive risk at Ibrox with a team selection that hinted heavily at prioritising our Conference League fixture on Thursday over one of the most difficult away games in the league.

He brought in several players from the cold, notably Ante Suto, Thibault Klidje, Josh Campbell and Kanyo Megwa, raising more than a few eyebrows among the Hibs support.

But the gaffer's brave choice was vindicated with a battling performance from a Hibs side that won away to Rangers for the third successive season for the first time in our history.

Gray has made a habit of breaking unwanted records - Sunday was also the first time Rangers manager Derek McInnes had lost a home game to Hibs.

We looked every bit the well-coached, motivated team Gray's critics have suggested we are not.

To a man the players stood up to be counted for Gray - this was the performance Hibs fans have been waiting for. We weren't swashbuckling or dominant with possession, but we fought for everything and when chances came, we were clinical.

I've long said Gray needs more time. He can point to the availability of Jamie McGrath and Suto as a sign his squad is getting closer to its best. With Nicky Cadden still to return, things are looking much rosier for Gray in the wake of this win.

A final mention for young Owen Elding. Brought on with just minutes remaining, he showed composure beyond his years to bring a calmness to proceedings and set Hibs on our way to the crucial attack that won the match.

The 20-year-old forward is one to watch this season and Gray should be looking to build his team around him.

You can find Matty Fairnie at Longbangers podcast, external

Watch the Sportscene panel discuss Callum Wright's late goal, and Owen Elding's part in making it happen, which helped Hibs secure a 2-1 victory against Rangers at Ibrox.

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Hibernian's Conference League opponents FK Shkendija were 2-0 winners away to Vardar in the North Macedonian top flight at the weekend.

The victory means Shkendija are second in the league on goal difference after two league games.

Hibs beat Shkendija 2-1 at Easter Road on Thursday in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie as they prepare to travel for the return leg this week.

Should Hibs progress to the Conference League play-off, they will face either IFK Goteborg or Gent.

The former defeated Kalmar 3-2 in their domestic league to move up to 10th in the Allsvenskan after 16 games. Gent also won at the weekend beating Mechelen 2-0 in the opening game of the Belgian Pro League season.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Raphael Sallinger - Hibernian

Made eight saves as Hibs held on for another win over Rangers at Ibrox.

Kanayo Megwa - Hibernian

Played a big part in a strong, steady victorious showing at Ibrox.

Auston Trusty - Celtic

Superb block on the line as the American kept things tight at the back for Celtic.

Owen Bevan - Dundee

You don't have to be called Bevan to do well for Dundee, but it clearly helps. Strong showing at the back.

Emmanuel Longelo - Motherwell

More often than not makes an impact down the left for the Steelmen.

Joe Bevan - Dundee

Looked impressive at times against Celtic and took it to a new level against Aberdeen with a goal and assist.

Tom Renaud - Hearts

His laser-guided rocket reminded me of Ally McCoist at Euro '96. To be fair, Renaud's was even better.

Killian Phillips - St Mirren

Suddenly the main man for the Buddies. Loved his no-nonsense one-step penalty.

Josh McPake - Hearts

Scored a fine goal, linking up with Claudio Braga. Shining on the Tynecastle stage after his heroics for St Johnstone.

Kasper Hogh - Celtic

An ebullient, winning personality and the Celtic fans have a new hero after the £11m man netted a hat-rick and looked an all round class act.

Claudio Braga - Hearts

Ran out of superlatives for his contribution last season, and was back to his best against Dundee United with a goal and two assists.

Hibs fans, we asked for your views after Sunday's 2-1 victory against Rangers at Ibrox.

Here's what some of you said:

Kieran: This is what happens when you make positive changes throughout a match. David Gray got his subs spot on, minus Felix Passlack's moment of madness which he then makes up for. We aren't asking for world class football every week but that performance has to be the benchmark moving forward.

Scott: Organised, resilient and dangerous on the break - much more like it. I thought Gray had blown it with the three subs as to me it just invited pressure but we hung in there and took our chance. A positive result midweek in Europe would top everything off nicely.

John: Outstanding performances from our back four and Callum Wright got Passlack out of jail. I agree with Gray we have to utilise the whole squad and once they all gel we'll be a force to be reckoned with.

Aidan: You felt that Hibs just needed one more opportunity to get a smash and grab winner from the game. Fair play not buckling when it went 1-1 and after losing a late goal last Sunday to then win the next two games by scoring late on shows a shift in character which I hope continues.

Finn: Super performance off the ball, punished Rangers in the little moments. The result brings momentum into a really important couple of weeks for Hibs.

Alan: Perhaps the supporters continually calling for a change of manager will get off David Gray's back. Sunday was tough on the players and we should be proud of them and the management team for the way they defended, attacked and played for the club and each other.

Genoa have expressed an interest in 23-year-old Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan. (Sky Sports, external)

Read the rest of Monday's Scottish gossip.

Derek McInnes' wait for his first win as Rangers manager goes on after Hibernian claimed back-to-back Scottish Premiership wins at Ibrox and their third win there in as many seasons thanks to Callum Wright's late breakaway goal.

Read the match report here.

Have your say here.

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Hibernian head coach David Gray tells Premier Sports: "Rangers put us under severe pressure for the second half, the character was really tested but we made an attacking substitution to try and have that mentality of not just sitting in even with the Rangers pressure.

"[The winning goal] was a brilliant moment. I'm delighted for the players because we made a lot of changes and the players that came in did really well, it builds that character.

"The type of game suits Josh Mulligan. To a man I think it would be difficult to single anyone out because they were all so good.

"I've been through adversity at the start. The demands and expectations are always going to be there. The biggest thing is sticking together as a group. Internally we know we're in a good place, there's more to come."

Neil Farrugia's absence from recent Dundee United games was planned as he manages his way back from groin trouble. (Courier - subscription required, external)

Sunday's Scottish gossip

Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin believes Hibernian are trending in the right direction under head coach David Gray. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required, external)

Sunday's Scottish gossip

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• Rangers lost their last league meeting with Hibernian 1-2 at Ibrox in May but have not lost successive top-flight matches against Hibs since November 2005 under Alex McLeish.

• Hibernian have won two of their past three league visits to Rangers (L1) and could win successive trips in the top-flight for just the fourth time, previously doing so in September 1902, October 1985, and February 2018.

• There have been 35 goals scored in Rangers' past seven league games at Ibrox, an average of five per game. Their most recent game was a 2-1 defeat by Hibs in May – they have never lost consecutive home league games against the same team both times. They last duplicated the same result and opponent in April/August 1990, back-to-back wins against Dunfermline Athletic.

• The past six results in Hibernian's Scottish Premiership matches have been away wins – they have lost four home games and won their two away games in this streak. The last side to have a longer run was Rangers between February and April 2025 (7), with the seventh game in that run ending Rangers 0-2 Hibernian.

• Thelo Aasgaard has scored in each of his past three Premiership appearances for Rangers – the last Ibrox player with a longer streak was Cyriel Dessers in April and May 2025 (5 in a row).

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Derek McInnes will assess his Rangers squad following their Europa League qualifying defeat by Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland. Defender Ben Godfrey is out for the next three to four weeks with a hamstring issue. South Africa centre-back Olwethu Makhanya, the new signing from Philadelphia Union, could make his debut.

Hibernian trio Jack Iredale (appendix), Nicky Cadden and Jamie McGrath (both calf) are pushing for a return but may miss out again, along with Rocky Bushiri (Achilles).

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Chris Cadden described his move to Aberdeen as the "perfect fit", admitting: "I was ready for a new challenge."

The right-back arrived at Pittodrie on a two-year deal at the end of last month after five years at Hibernian and made his Dons debut in last weekend's Scottish Premiership win over Hearts.

"In terms of the stage in my career, my age - I think I am just coming in to my prime years hopefully," said the 29-year-old Scotland cap.

"So all that from my side of things, but also the size of the club, the fan base, everything that comes along with that, I know how big Aberdeen is, I played up here against them plenty of times away from home, I know how big the club is so as soon as I heard about the interest it was something I was really keen to get done and just sort of felt it was a perfect fit for me at this stage of my career."

Cadden played 166 times for Hibs and was asked if it was a wrench to leave Easter Road.

"That is maybe partly why I needed a change," he explained. "I loved my time at Hibs, it was great, we had a really successful time there but I just think sometimes you need a little bit of change in a career and a fresh start and Aberdeen is the perfect club for me to do that.

"I wasn't just going to jump ship, it had to be the right move and the right club and I feel this is.

"The manager was a big part of it as well. I played under him before with successful times at Motherwell as well and really enjoyed his football and what he brings.

"He really wanted me, which was big for me so yes, I'm excited and I can see what the gaffer can bring and that success to a football club and that continuity he can create at a football club so I am really excited."

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Hibernian midfielder Callum Wright loved his first Easter Road outing, two months on from joining the Edinburgh club.

The 26-year-old signed as a free agent in June and made his competitive debut during Thursday night's Conference League third qualifying round tie at home to Shkendija.

Wright was subbed on in the second half and set up Owen Elding for the opening goal as Hibs went on to win 2-1 in the first leg of the European tie.

"Obviously it's only halfway in the tie," he told Hibs TV.

"But it was a nice experience at Easter Road for the first time on a European night, which was a big part of why I came here.

"I was a bit more out wide, which I don't mind, as long as I'm getting on the ball that's fine. I enjoyed myself.

"Last year I played a lot inside the pitch, but as I say, I enjoyed it, and hopefully I can bring assists and goals to the team."