'Masterclass in Motherwell provides optimism for season ahead'

What a difference a week makes! From the demoralising demolition in Dundee last Saturday to a masterclass against Motherwell via an action-packed draw with Aberdeen at Easter Road on Tuesday. Hibs (whisper it) might just be back!

I couldn’t be happier for David Gray. It looked for all the world that he'd run his race as head coach, and I really couldn't see a way back for him after that defeat in the Dundee fog, but his side have bounced back, and it would feel extremely harsh if he were to lose his job now.

Make no mistake, second bottom and just two points ahead of lowly Hearts is an unacceptable position for Hibs to be in, but just as leagues titles aren't secured in December, neither are the bottom spots and we find ourselves just six points off an unlikely top-six position.

There's no escaping the horrendous season that has preceded the last two games and with a challenging trip to Parkhead next up for the Hibees, we could very easily see ourselves planted at the foot of the table again. Defeat to the champions wouldn't be catastrophic for Gray, so long as Hibs get back to winning ways against Ross County the following week.

There's a long way to go before we can really tell if Hibs are on the right track or if these last two performances have been the exception to the rule, but it felt great to have a Saturday night watching Sportscene without having to peek through my fingers at the horror scenes, and there was enough quality and character on show in Motherwell to give optimism for the season ahead.

Matty Fairnie can be found on the Longbangers podcast., external