GRIN & TONIC

Gray gets the perfect hangover cure as Hibs bounce back from Euro sickener to dump Dundee

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DAVID GRAY praised his Hibs stars for shrugging off their European hangover and giving their fans an opening-day Premiership win.

The capital side could easily have felt sorry for themselves after they were knocked out of the Europa League in the last minutes of extra time to Midtjylland.

Gray watched his players pick themselves up off the canvas and then go on to take three points thanks to a Kieron Bowie double at Dundee.

It gives them the perfect shot in the arm ahead of their trip to Serbia to take on Partizan Belgrade in their Europa Conference League clash.

Gray said: "I'm delighted because like you just mentioned, there is the emotional side to it as well.

"Everything the players put in on Wednesday night, everybody would be looking at today's game and wondering, would there be a hangover? How will players react?

"First time they have learnt Thursday, Sunday. So all I can say is that the players reacted in the best possible way.

"A real professional performance, we started the game really well and controlled the game from start to finish, which is a real pleasing thing.

"The biggest thing is when the mentality has had questions asked of it, that was definitely there.

"And the character of the players was definitely there to see today, which is positive."

Bowie played his first full 90 minutes in two seasons.

Gray refuses to get carried away but he believes his striker has all the tools to be a big success at Easter Road.