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Hibs will rely on “honesty” in addressing their current inability to build momentum, according to defender Jack Iredale. And the Aussie star insists David Gray’s men can’t leave it “too late” to drag themselves into contention at the business end of the Scottish Premiership. The Easter Road side pulled off a stunning comeback after enduring a horrific start last season, with Gray’s men sitting bottom of the table as late as early December. A record-breaking run of 17 straight league games without loss contributed to Hibs finishing third with a game to spare. They’ve struggled to gain any momentum over the first 11 rounds of league fixtures in season 2025-26, with their six-game European adventures definitely a factor. It looked as if they’d managed to get something going with recent wins at home to Livingston and away to Aberdeen – their first back-to-back victories of the SPFL campaign. But a missed penalty saw them lose at home to Rangers last midweek. And the weekend draw away to Livi, who scored an injury-time penalty to steal a point, was a heavy blow to their ambitions. Despite all of this, Gray’s side are still sitting third in the league, although they’ve played a game more than some of their nearest rivals. As they head to Paisley to face St Mirren on Saturday evening, in the final round of Premiership fixtures before the international break, they have a chance to kick-start their season. “We all know you put some results together, the league table completely changes, said Iredale, the Socceroos hopeful adding: “You don't want to leave it too late. “Last season we gave ourselves a massive effort. This season you don't want to leave it that late; you want to get going. “I think we were starting to build momentum there, obviously with two wins on the bounce. Going up to Aberdeen, a really, really tough place to go. “To come away with a win there, very good, and then you know what you're going to get playing against Rangers. And that was one that we were disappointed with ourselves with, which I think shows just how far this group's come. “And then Livingston, there's no excuses. People can look at three games in six days, and the teams that we've had to play, and the pitch and all that, but it doesn't matter. “What really matters is we weren't good enough. When you're having a bad day, you just need to find a way to win.” Gray was blunt in his assessment of Saturday’s performance, despite his queries about VAR technology’s ability to make ‘factual’ decisions on offside, with the gaffer insisting that his team hadn’t done enough to win. Stand-in skipper Martin Boyle was equally forthright in his assessment of the game, warning his team-mates that “the penny needs to drop” if they’re to turn things around. Iredale, offering an insight into the home truths being shared internally and externally as Hibs look to shake themselves out of an unsatisfying pattern of performances and results, said: “That’s really important. That honesty starts at the very top. It starts with a gaffer as well. We know exactly where we stand. “We're all really disappointed because we know how good we can be, just letting ourselves down. You can say as many times as you want how close we are, but it doesn't really matter if you're not getting over the line. “We've still got full confidence in this group. There are such big things to come from us. We just need to make it happen. “You see the boys that were here last season, and are still here this year. You see how close we are. I think that shows in how easy we've made it for boys to come in and play “Now we've got a big job to rest and recover and go to a really tough place next weekend. To get ourselves in front twice against Livingston, and then not to see it out, is the most disappointing thing. “You draw the game, you feel like you've lost the game when you're at a club like Hibs. When you're in a team like this, you know how good you can be.” All three European ties went to extra time as Hibs went toe-to-toe with Midtjylland, Partizan Belgrade and Legia Warsaw in six hectic weeks at the start of the campaign. With many of their squad involved in World Cup campaigns, Gray has also found his working time with the group drastically reduced, limiting his ability to do the training-ground work that can make all the difference in tight games. GET THE LATEST HIBS NEWS DIRECTLY TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX WITH OUR FREE NEWSLETTER SERVICE Iredale, who has been called up for Australia but is yet to win a cap, insisted no-one at East Mains was seeking excuses, explaining: “The European stuff was an incredible experience. I wasn't going into games feeling tired. We were ready; we were energised. “Against Livingston, it was the same. I felt ready, physically ready, even for the third game in a week. Sometimes it doesn't click and you need to find a way to win. “That will be a lesson that we need to take. We need to understand that when you're not at your best, you have to find a way to win. “We were so close to doing that - but unfortunately we didn't. It says something that it felt like a loss when we've only drawn the game.” Your next Hibs read: SPFL rival makes bold prediction about Easter Road side - but will campaign pan out as expected?
