‘You might never get the opportunity again' – Hibs boss urges stars to relish sell-out Easter Road against Midtjylland
Club chiefs confirmed more than 18,500 home fans will take in their Europa League crunch after last week's gutsy 1-1 draw with Danes Midtjylland in Herning.
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David Gray in training with his Hibs squad
Credit: Alamy
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Hibs fans and their tifo for David Gray
Credit: Andrew Barr
Now Gray is desperately hoping his side can find the win they need to book a tie against Norwegians Fredrikstad.
Hibs haven't lost at home since November, but asked if his message will be to not let down a bumper crowd, Gray said: 'Not so much. It's more not letting yourself down.
'You need to take a personal pride into it. These are the games, it's why you do it.
'You might never get the opportunity to do these things again.
'We're under no illusion that the task is going to be huge but go and enjoy it as well, you need to embrace it.
'It's been touched on, some of the big teams we've managed to beat at Easter Road.
'And this would certainly be right at the top of that list if we progress here.
'Since I've been at the club, this is as strong a connection with the fans as I've seen. They'll be right behind us. It's about constantly trying to improve. Can we keep getting better? I believe we will.'
Midtjylland battered Sonderjyske 6-2 in the league on Monday.
And as much belief as he has in his own team, Gray is also still wary of the Danes.
He said: 'They score a lot of goals, they force you to defend a lot, they've got a lot of quality players, technical players, but also physical players.
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'It's a tough challenge but I tell the players all the time, when you play Rangers and Celtic with their Champions League players, it's no greater test for you as a player than to try to test yourself against the best.
'I'm no different testing myself against a top-level coach to try to learn from the first leg.'
Gray, who could have Aussie defender Lewis Miller back for Sunday's Premiership opener at Dundee, senses they have the backing of the whole of Scottish football.
He said: 'Regardless of which Scottish clubs play in Europe, you want them to do well.
'The more of us getting further the better. It can only be good for the country and the league.'
Gray, meanwhile, has accepted defeat in his bid to get Nectar Triantis back from Sunderland.
But he added: 'I'll keep an eye out to see how he gets on and wish him all the best if it's not here.
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