David Gray has enjoyed sharing the classroom with Scott Brown but hopes Hibs dish out a Scottish Cup lesson to his Ayr United side.
The pair have got to know each other even better while studying on the Pro Licence coaching course. But they will be fierce rivals when the two teams lock horns in the televised Scottish Cup last-16 clash at Somerset Park on Friday night. And Easter Road gaffer Gray is relishing going up against the former Celtic, Hibs and Scotland captain.
He said: “Scott’s done really well, he’s someone that I’ve done coaching badges with as well. I probably didn’t know him as well when we played, but since we’ve been in the coaching side I’ve got a lot more interaction with him and I think he’s done incredibly well. Scott’s on that Pro Licence as well – I think we’ve been doing it for nearly a year now and it’s a two-year course. But there’s a few senior players and ex-players on it as well, so it’s a really good group. I’m learning a lot from them, which is great.
“It’s less focused on the coaching to be honest, it’s probably more about how clubs run, a little bit on the theory stuff and putting you in situations, boardroom experiences, all these things. It’s really good – it’s a different way of looking at it. You start to meet people from all over the world. So there are different types of coaches and different ways of playing and different philosophies and styles that you start to learn.”
Both sides go into the game in a rich vein of form with Hibs winning seven of their 10 ten games, while Ayr climbed to the Championship summit last weekend. Gray knows the tie will be a huge test for his players. He said: “The squad Scott’s got, the squad he’s developed and put together and the balance he’s got within it, that’s the reason why I think he’s right at the top end of the Championship and rightly so, because they fully deserve it.
“I know a lot of the Ayr players personally as well, worked with a few of them before, Jamie Murphy, Mikey Devlin – boys like that and they’re really good pros.”
Hibs wing-back Chris Cadden knows all about Ayr’s recent form through his friendship with Honest Men centre-back and former Hibs team-mate Devlin. And the 28-year-old is bracing himself for a stern test tonight.
He said: “It will be hard, they’re obviously having a good run, similar to us as well. I actually went to watch them a couple of weeks ago against Dunfermline because my mate Mikey is there.
“I went just to watch him, not to actually scout it. That chat has been a bit quieter this week, I try and meet him most weeks for a coffee but I’ve not met him this week. For me he’s a Premiership player, the level he’s played at, he’s played for his country, Aberdeen, and obviously played here. He’s a top quality player. But they have a good team, play good football, so we know we’re under no illusions how hard it’s going to be.”
Cadden is also delighted the players have taken the heat off manager Gray with their recent run of form after he came under pressure during a woeful start to the campaign. He added: “The start of the season obviously wasn’t great and as players, you do feel a responsibility.
“It was the gaffer’s first gig as well. You just want to do well for him. We did feel guilty for letting them (the coaches) down, and how hard they work as well.
“I’m chuffed for the boys, but I’m really chuffed for the gaffer as well because I know him as a person. He deserves it, the hard work he puts in and how much he loves the club as well.”