David Gray Prepares for Huge Game Against Ross County

David Gray faces a “huge game” on Saturday when Hibernian head to Ross County in the Premier Sports Cup, according to former Easter Road favourite Scott Allan.

For Allan, there is no dressing this one up.

“There’s no other way to look at it from a Hibs perspective,” he told the BBC Scotland Football Podcast, with his old club just one win away from a semi-final place.

Hibs badly need a response. Gray’s side have stumbled in the Premiership, losing back-to-back games against Hearts and St Johnstone, and the mood darkened further with a late collapse at home to Gent that killed their Conference League hopes.

The league form has dipped, Europe has gone. That leaves the cups carrying the weight.

“There’s a lot riding on the cups, with Hibs having been disappointing in the last two years,” said Allan, who had three separate spells at Easter Road and knows the expectation levels around Leith as well as anyone.

The assignment in Dingwall is awkward. County are unbeaten in League One and carry real momentum, driven by 38-year-old former Hibs striker Brian Graham, who already has nine goals in all competitions.

“It will be difficult against a team that is winning games, with a striker that is scoring goals,” Allan warned. “They have a strong squad for a club in League One.”

The danger is obvious: a lower-league side full of confidence, a veteran forward in form, and a top-flight team under scrutiny.

Allan still leans towards his old club finding a way through.

“I think it could be tricky, but I still believe Hibs will have enough to get through the tie,” he said. “There is some real quality in the team. Whether they are getting the best out of them at the moment is another question.”

That question, and the pressure wrapped around it, now hangs over Gray’s trip north.