David Gray spoke to the media ahead of Hibs' Premier Sports Cup clash at Kelty Hearts on Saturday. Here's everything the head coach had to say...

Two wins, 10 goals - what's the mood like?

“The boys are in a good place at the moment. It feels like a happy camp, and the mood is very positive. From day one I’ve said that the response from everyone has been great. We’re scoring goals and not losing many at the other end, so that always helps. The new staff coming in have brought in a new energy, new players have hit the ground running. And young players coming in have added something. Facing Kelty is very similar to the challenge we faced going up to Elgin. The pressure will all be on us. But it’s my job to make sure the players are fully ready for the challenge. It’ll be on the artificial pitch, a tight pitch, and Kelty are going to have a go, that’s for sure. We need to guard against that and be ready to do what we’ve done in the last two games, what we’ve done all pre-season. Those are the standards we’ve set."

Any injury news?

“Chris Cadden has a wee tweak so he’s going to be another week or so. We’re not going to take any risks with him. He had the scan. It’s one where we don’t need to rush it at the moment, so he should be another week or so. Harry McKirdy is back and has trained the last couple of days. Tuesday night came just too soon for him, but he’s been doing quite a bit of work in the background. We’ve been managing his minutes. He comes back into contention for the weekend.

“Harry has been a real breath of fresh air since coming back in. He was actually back at the tail end of last season, because Swindon’s season finished a bit earlier than ours. Ever since he’s came back, he’s had the bit between his teeth and trained really, really well. He was a wee bit behind in terms of where we were at physically.

“But he’s a hundred per cent in how he trains – and he just picked up a little bit of a niggle, a bit of tightness in training. So we’re just being a bit of cautious with that one, especially early on at this stage. He’s been working really hard. He’s bright and bubbly, ready to go. And obviously Elie Youan went off in the last seconds of the game on Tuesday night. That’s another one where we’re just not taking any risks, just assess it over the next few days. It was just a collision. A collision with the goalkeeper. It was very brave of the two of them, at that stage of that game, but that’s just football. We won’t be taking any risks with that one."

Anyone else crocked?

“No, that’s us. There are a few niggles, naturally, just with it being pre-season and getting minutes into legs. We’re managing that situation all the time, taking no unnecessary risks but trying to be competitive. Everyone is chomping at the bit right now because we’re playing well. We want to keep that going and keep the momentum going.”

Is a striker the next priority in the transfer market?

“Yeah, it’s pretty clear we’re a bit light at the top end of the pitch. We’ve only really got Dylan Vente as the out-and-out, recognised number nine. So that’s an area we’re constantly trying to strengthen to give us more options and depth. It’s not just a case of ‘let’s just go get someone’, we want it to be the right one, the right type that’s going to enhance the squad and make us better. Those forward positions are definitely ones we are looking at.”

What qualities does a Scottish Premiership striker need to have?

“It depends how you’re going to play. There’s been very successful ones that are different. I’ve played with lots of strikers that have been successful. You even look at Adam Le Fondre here last season, a real penalty box striker. But then you’ve got others like Simon Murray, who I played with previously, and he was brilliant to play with because you could put the ball in the channel and he’ll chase it all day. There’s different strengths depending on how you want to play. What we want to do is have different ways of playing. We’ve got Vente, who links-up and gets in the box, and he’s scoring goals now which is great. Sometimes you might want a more physical one, or more of a running one. I don’t have my eye on any one player at the moment, it’s about putting together exactly what we think the best option is going to be."

Has this been a slower transfer window compared to previous summers, possibly due to the Euros?

“This is my first in this situation so it’s harder for me to judge. I do think it’s probably been a little bit slower with the Euros and top teams going as far as we did, younger players being kept in at the top teams to facilitate squads, and it not filtering down, especially in places like the Premier League with the expectation and demands to go and play games in pre-season the younger players are being kept in. The knock-on effect is maybe that it’s been a bit slower. I’m not as experienced in this but it’s something we’re working hard on every single day to get the squad to where it needs to be."

Is it a case of everyone needing to be patient, then?

“It’s constantly working hard. Opportunities change all the time, as soon as one player moves it can open the door for another. Maybe people don’t get their number one target, there’s all different ways you can get to the end result. We just need to be proactive all the time, making sure we’re working towards our targets and doing everything we can to strengthen the squad."

Do you have others filtering those targets so there's not too many landing in your inbox?

“That’s what the recruitment department is there for. I’ve mentioned that a few times about the structure. We’ve got the recruitment department, Malky there as well, everything that goes in there goes through a filter. It’s not just ‘I like him let’s go and do that’, there’s a process to it, which is great. That way you want to reduce the risks of getting it wrong. Ultimately, you’re judged on your recruitment and making sure it works, to reduce the risk as much as possible."

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Could Jordan Smith get some minutes?

“He’s come straight in and Jojo Wollacott's went out at the other end. I’ve been delighted with him since he’s come in, he’s a great boy with great experience. Day one on the training pitch, you can see he’s very vocal and he’s fitted in very well. We’re delighted with where we are on that."

Is Josef Bursik still number one?

“Josef’s number one, he’s been brought in as number one at the moment. We’ve got Jordan in there to push him, and Max Boruc pushing him. It’s a healthy goalkeeping department. That’s what you want – everyone pushing all the time because that’s what breeds success if people are pushing you every day on the training pitch and setting a standard all the time. It keeps you on the top of your game and it’s really healthy."