Our Caretaker Manager was in the technical area for his third game but saw his hard-working Hibees fall to defeat in cruel fashion. After taking the lead in the second half, his side conceded a minute later, before Celtic grabbed a controversial winner.
After the game, Gray spoke to Hibs TV and described his emotions after the game.
“It’s disappointing, I’m gutted. To lose a cup final is always very sore, I had this experience as a player as well. There’s a lot of very disappointed boys in there at the moment.
“At the same time, I’m very proud of the players. From the moment I was put in charge, they gave myself and Eddie absolutely everything. I’m grateful for that.”
It was a difficult first 45 for the Hibees who had to defend astutely against the Glasgow-based opponents. However, in the second half, Gray’s side created a lot more openings and had enough chances to win the game.
“I think the game went the way we thought it would go,” said our Caretaker Manager.
“Celtic were always going to start the game really fast, They enjoyed a lot of the ball without hurting us, which was credit to the boys’ shape, discipline and willingness to work without the ball. They had very few chances, but what we lacked was belief. When we had the ball back, we gave it back too quickly or didn’t back our ability.
“We addressed that at half-time and in the second half we were on the front-foot, aggressive and were much more like ourselves.
“To get the goal was brilliant, but the initial reaction to going a goal in-front is so important, you have to keep it tight for the next five or 10 minutes, if we’d have done that the game might have been different. It’s disappointing but that’s sometimes what happens in football.”
Both Celtic’s goals were surrounded by controversy with questions regarding offside for the first and whether there it should’ve been free-kick which led to the second goal.
Gray gave his thoughts on both instances and bemoaned a lack of concentration at the back for both instances.
“The first one is hard to see because of the smoke, so it’s hard to see when the ball was played. Both goals from our point of view can be defended a lot better.
“I still firmly believe that we shouldn’t have been defending a free-kick for the second goal; I’ve no idea how it’s a foul, and if it is a foul, then I’ve no idea how we didn’t get a penalty in the last minute. These are things and decisions that happen in football.
“We should’ve defended it better, but I’m proud of the effort of the players. We kept going right to the very end and created chances to the very end. Before the game I said to them, a cup final is an opportunity you may never get again so come away from the game with no regrets so give absolutely everything, and they all did that today. Not just the ones who played, but the staff, the boys on the bench and the ones that weren’t in the squad. I’m very grateful.”