Dylan Vente hit a hat-trick for Hibernian in their 5-0 Premier Sports Cup group victory over Elgin City - and afterwards revealed the treble had been sparked by one key message given to him by head coach David Gray.

The Dutchman struck twice in the first half before adding his third as Hibs breezed past their League Two opponents at Borough Briggs as Gray got his competitive tenure off to a winning start after three straight wins and three clean sheets in pre-season games against Edinburgh City, MSV Duisburg, and PAOK. 

"Last year was a bit frustrating for me," Vente said after the match. "It wasn't the season I wanted but I'm happy that [against Elgin] I played as a real striker in the box. I think that's my best position - hopefully this season I can get more in the positions I want. 

"Last year I played deeper and ran like crazy, sometimes for nothing. I'm happy with the new coach and he told me to play as a striker, to stay as high as I can and that's the position I want to play so it's really good." 

The 25-year-old hit eight goals and four assists in 37 games in all competitions last year but a combination of injury and being played out of position possibly robbed him of further contributions. But the former Roda JC striker is optimistic that this campaign can yield even more goals. 

"If I'm in the box I know I have the quality to score, and hopefully this season will bring more goals," he added. "5-0 and three goals for myself was a good feeling. We know we have to win these games and it was the first competitive game after a hard pre-season so it's a good way to start." 

Vente opened the scoring after just eight minutes but Hibs didn't score again until just before the interval, with the hosts coming into the game a little. But when the Scottish Premiership side lost the ball they often retrieved it straight away by hunting down the Elgin players in packs, hassling and harrying until they regained possession. 

"I think in these kinds of games it's important how you react and how you go into the game and I think we did well. After losing the ball we reacted quickly and it's important to do that in these kinds of games," Vente explained.

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For much of the 90 minutes he had Martin Boyle nearby, the two continuing a partnership that had started against PAOK in Swolgen last weekend as Gray opted for a 352 formation. Boyle duly set up Vente for the opener and added a goal for himself in the second half as the pair wreaked havoc in the final third.

"He is really quick and if you're a striker it's always good to have those players around you,"Vente explained. "I like playing with Boyley on the right side or the left side, he's really good and he can create something out of nothing which is good for players in my position."