By Ben Banks

Copyright scotsman

David Gray has insisted patience will be required as he looks to blend his Hibs team together. The head coach watched on as his side drew 3-3 with Dundee United on Premiership business on Saturday. A Premier Sports Cup quarter-final is upcoming this weekend against an under-fire Rangers side and while Hibs have won one and drawn three of their four league matches so far, plaudits have been handed out for performances. They also signed Charlton Athletic defender Zach Mitchell and Middlesbrough midfielder Dan Barlaser at the end of the transfer window, with Scotland defender Grant Hanley also added late in the summer recruitment period. Amid international breaks providing a disrupted fixture schedule in the first quarter of the season, Gray says things will take time to come together fully, with the likes of his Charlton and Middlesbrough loanees getting up to speed. Gray said: “I think that’s something, especially the way we work, with new players coming in and trying to integrate them into that as well. Because it was after Europe, this was the last game, and then it was a bit of a more normal routine. But then, I don’t know what it is, nine, 14 players go away on a national duty, and I’m going, well, time on the grass for players. “But I had seven players, you know, not quite what I was expecting with the time on the grass. But then it allows you to really focus on them and work on areas which they can improve. And then I think, as the weeks go on and you become more settled within it, you need a lot more time on the grass, a lot more opportunity to work on various different things. “Especially when I’ve got a few new players, because that’s the best time to really get your ideas across, which is difficult when you’re only recovering the players in between games. Clearly now we’re doing Dan and Zac right at the very end, Grant Hanley coming in later on towards the end of the window. We have got a really good squad that will need time to work on the things that we want to work on.” On the United draw, Gray was left with mixed emotions. He added on Hibs TV: “Immediately, the reflection will be to take the positive that we didn’t lose the game, considering we were 3-1 down at one point. We showed good character to go right till the very end and get something from it. “You’re always looking to take three points, particularly when you are at home – but we didn’t have that control within the game, so to get a point in the end is something we need to take and move on from. “There are a lot of areas that we need to work on and the disappointment for me is how we played defensively. We were well below where we need to be defensively; it wasn’t any individuals but it was across the board – we had to rely on Jordan Smith a lot in the second half. The other side is that we did create a lot of chances, we had 27 shots and there were big moments within the game. Both keepers made some huge saves within it, but all in all, we need to be better.”