History beckons for Hibs in Kosovo amid 'complacency' warning ahead of UEFA Conference League kick-off
‘Best nights I’ve been involved in as a coach’ - now Gray wants even more glory
There’s a ragged sort of energy to Kosovo, a raw enthusiasm on the part of a people eager to exceed, rather than escape, their country’s recent tragic history. If vibes matter, FC Malisheva have plenty going for them.
Ultimately, however, this afternoon’s meeting between the ‘home’ side – borrowing the Fadil Vokkri Stadium in Pristina for the occasion – and Hibs remains a test of footballing skill and sporting steel. On all available data, the visitors are expected to prevail.
David Gray’s men arrived here last night just as the heat of a changeable day was dissipating. It’ll be a little warmer for this afternoon kick-off, although not as sweltering as initial forecasts predicted.
In a city sitting a good couple of thousand feet above sea level, how will the visitors cope not merely with the rarefied air – further complicated by the passive smoke of roughly a hundred thousand cigarettes on the go at any given time – but the threat of opponents who stuck five unanswered goals past their most recent UEFA Conference League opponents? Gray, for one, is adamant that his team will not want for motivation.
Setting his sights on becoming the first Hibs boss to guide his team into European league/group stage football, he said: “That's the next challenge. You think back to how close we came last season.
“It’s nice to be involved in. I loved every minute of it, testing myself against top coaches, big clubs. I'm hungry for more nights like that.
“And I constantly challenge the group about trying to recreate history. Can you be the first Hibs team to get into the group stages? I think we can.
“We've got a difficult test just now, but if we can put together two real complete performances, we know we're a very good side. I think how pre-season's gone, I'm delighted with where we are with that.
“Some of the opposition we've faced, yes, they're pre-season games, but I think I'm happy with where the squad is physically. And I know we'll get stronger as the games go on.
“But you go into this game knowing that it's going to be a tough test and you need to be at your very best. And if there's any sort of complacency at all, you will certainly be punished at this level.
“The players will know that, they'll be ready for that and it's certainly one game at a time, one step at a time. But the aim ultimately is can you go and achieve that?”
As Gray alluded to, last year’s run was eventful, even exciting. But ultimately unfulfilling, in the context of tangible achievement.
Midtjylland, Partizan and Legia ties all enthralled
As travelling experiences? Midtjylland away can be summed up in the phrase: ‘Sorry, the kitchen is closed.’ But without the apology, usually.
Belgrade was barmy and brilliant in equal measure, a really great city. And Warsaw was, over-zealous post-match policing aside, every inch the modern European capital. Great fun all round, then, mostly.
And Hibs gave a solid account of themselves in all three ties, with their away win over Partizan standing alongside any European result by any Scottish club side in recent seasons. They just couldn’t get across the line in either the Europa League or the Conference League.
There are hopes that this year will be different. And the draw has certainly opened up for them right through to the play-off round.
Malisheva weren’t fancied to get this far. Neither of the opponents waiting in the third qualifying round represent scions of the European elite. There is a chance.
“One thing I was very positive about was the experience we had,” said Gray, looking back on last season’s campaign. “Some of the best nights I've been involved in as a coach, and just in football in general
“Obviously winning against Partizan in Belgrade, winning in Warsaw on the night, those were brilliant nights, brilliant occasions to be involved in. And even the home games, the atmosphere that comes with that.
Attitude vital against underdogs
“If we want nights like that again, there will be an opportunity. But we need to make sure everyone's going into that game with the right attitude and the right frame of mind, and that only happens by taking care of business tomorrow and making sure that we put a real good performance in.
“It's a difficult place to come, but it's exactly what the players are all prepped for and ready for. Even the new players coming to the club, it's why you want to come to the football club, to go and challenge yourself, to give them the opportunity to go and play a big stage of European football.”
Speak to any player or coach about why they enjoy European campaigns so much and the answer will invariably include some reference to variety. When your domestic football can occasionally involve six meetings with the same opponent, a little bit of change is a godsend.
“Different styles, different ways of playing, different coaches that do different things,” is how Gray sums up the personal appeal, from a coaching perspective. “As you say, because we've got 12 teams in the top league, you do become quite accustomed to the same teams. Especially when you get to round four, if you've played them three times in the season, you know the players inside out.
“My knowledge of Eastern European football is not as good as my knowledge of the Scottish Premiership, so we have to do a lot of homework in the background for that. It's just a different test, but it's exactly what the players earned from what they delivered last season in terms of European football.”
Pristina is a city bedecked by slogans and campaigns, from political agitation to simple expressions of civic pride. Right beside the venue for today’s game, there is a large sculpture spelling out – in eight-foot letters – the word NEWBORN.
It’s a declaration of hope on behalf of a young nation. One tapping into a universal understanding that there’s nothing quite like the beginning of something completely fresh.
From a Hibs perspective, season 2026-27 begins here and now. In front of maybe a couple of thousand fans, in total, as Malisheva’s home support make the short journey from their home town, the team from Edinburgh have a chance to begin with a bang.