Hibs Close to Conference League Group Stage but Fans Divided
Hibernian are one step from the Conference League group stage after Thursday night’s goalless draw with Shkendija in North Macedonia, a result that calmly finished the job after the first-leg work at Easter Road.
The performance? That’s where the fanbase starts to divide.
‘Job done’ – but not much more
For some, this was exactly what a European away leg should look like.
“Job done,” said Calum. “Not pretty but a clean sheet away in Europe is nothing to be sniffed at.”
Neil struck a similar note, calling it “not pretty but a professional job” and focusing firmly on what comes next: clearing “this last hurdle and into the next stage for the first time.”
The tone from that camp is clear: style can wait, progression can’t.
John echoed that mood. The 90 minutes in North Macedonia will not live long in the memory, yet he never felt Hibs were under real threat.
“Not the best of games to watch but who cares,” he said. “Getting to the play-offs is all that counted. I feel the team were never in any danger, Shkendija played better at Easter Road.”
Hibs controlled the tie, kept their nerve, and walked away with exactly what they needed. For many, that’s enough.
Faith, front foot and a Rangers benchmark
Others looked beyond the immediate result and straight at the bigger picture under David Gray.
Kenny tied the Shkendija display to domestic ambitions, using the weekend’s win over Rangers as the standard Hibs should be chasing more often.
“A great result following on from the win against Rangers at the weekend,” he said, before challenging the manager to show more belief in his side’s attacking qualities.
“David Gray now needs to have more faith that we can beat teams around us without resorting to the defensive tactics that we seem to deploy in the Premiership.
The fans will get behind the manager and the team if we can play off the front foot and stop losing goals when we give the ball away just outside the 18-yard box. The players are there, no good being too negative.”
The message is blunt: European pragmatism is acceptable, but Hibs supporters want a bolder, more assertive approach when the focus returns to the league.
Frustration over quality and recruitment
Not everyone bought into the idea that Shkendija were a serious test.
Gray described the North Macedonian side as “a really good” opponent. One supporter, A Graham, did not agree.
“Gray says Shkendija were a really good side, they were awful and we played at their level over the tie with poor passing,” came the verdict. “We were lacklustre up front and our record signing can't get a game.”
The criticism didn’t stop there. The fan pointed to recruitment and the lack of visible progress in the squad.
“Hopefully some more signings to come as I'm struggling to see improvements in the ones we have so far. Hopefully we'll click into gear as the Rangers game seems the exception to the norm right now.”
That’s the tension around Hibs at the moment. A landmark European opportunity on one side; nagging doubts about creativity, cohesion and selection on the other.
The play-off now looms, with history within reach. The question is whether Hibs can turn a functional, professional European run into a team that convinces their own fans week in, week out.
