Five days on and David Gray's gut feeling hasn't changed. Heat-of-the-moment reactions fuelled by the sting of defeat can be deceitful, but the Hibs head coach keeps coming back to the same thing - a lack of courage underpinning his side being swept aside by Celtic.

This Sunday, they get to do it all over again, this time in the less friendly surroundings of Celtic Park with a place in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at stake. Hibs did emerge from their collective shell as time wore on last weekend, but Gray will know that the 2-0 scoreline could have been far heavier had Brendan Rodgers' team been in more ruthless mood.

Hibs conceded two very preventable goals inside 20 minutes, were barely able to string five passes together throughout the opening half and, at times, looked powerless to retrieve the ball from Celtic when they had it. It makes a cup upset a tall order for a side which is still in transition, with new signings at very varying levels of fitness, up against a very expensively assembled one which seems to have gone up another gear this term.

But while Gray says Celtic's quality was undeniable last week, he is adamant there are so many ways his side can give themselves a better chance. Namely, being braver.

“I think Celtic were very good and there's no getting away from that, but there's things that we can do to improve, 100%. The first goal, for example, giving yourself a mountain to climb right away. Losing a goal in the manner we did, three minutes into the game, gives them a massive lift, gives them a foothold in the game and makes it a really difficult afternoon.

"The areas in which we can improve we've already identified, I think I said it straight after the game, sometimes when you speak after the game you then reflect and think 'Well, did I get that right, was I maybe a wee bit critical there?'  I think, when I look at it back, I still believe we can be miles braver on the ball. We didn't carry enough of a threat and I showed that to the boys, demonstrated areas in which we can be better. And we need to be better, because if we're not better the same result will happen again. We need to improve. As I said, everyone's fully aware of that and we've worked on that this week."

Even in 2024, bravery on the pitch is one of those qualities that can't be so easily pinned down by statistics, and what it entails can mean different things to different people. Gray refers to taking the ball in tight areas, making yourself available for a team-mate, and trusting them in possession. But then there's also Kieron Bowie making his first meaningful action in a Hibs shirt barrelling Cameron Carter-Vickers to the floor and crashing a shot off the bar from an unlikely angle.

"There is very much two different types of bravery," Gray continued. "There's the bravery to go and put your foot in, I think you need to always respect your opponent but you should never fear them. You should go and test yourself against them, and if you're too passive - which we definitely were - it becomes easier for the opposition.  We definitely need to be more aggressive, we need to be more on the front foot and make sure we put pressure on players rather than standing off too much.

Read more:

"And then there's the other side of bravery, when your team mate is in possession of the ball. If he makes a good decision to take a touch, you need to be brave enough then to get in a position to help him rather than shying away from it. It doesn't just come from the person directly on the ball, it comes from everybody involved to make sure they're helping their team-mates, getting on the ball, and keeping it off Celtic."

Gray said last week that Hibs are fighting through a period of short-term pain for long-term gain, having opened with consecutive defeats in the Premiership. But while he will stand by that assessment until this squad looks how he wants it to, both in personnel and in playing style, he's adamant he does not want it to be construed as mere extenuation.

“One thing I wouldn't want it to be is an excuse, definitely not," he said. "At this moment in time, yes, players are getting up to speed, players are only just in the building, there's new fresh ideas, all these things. But what there is, there's still a good group of players here that need to step up to the level. There is competition now which will help push people on, I've already seen that on the training pitch and it's about that then coming out in the games."