Hibs have to be confident at Shkendija, says Gray

Hibs beat Shkendija 2-1 in Edinburgh [SNS] Head coach David Gray says Hibernian "have to be confident" of reaching the Conference League play-off round but has warned his players it is "only half-time" against Shkendija. The Scottish Premiership side take a 2-1 lead to North Macedonia for Thursday's third qualifying round second-leg tie. The squad trained at Skopje's Tose Proeski Arena, where the second leg is being played, on Wednesday evening to acclimatise to temperatures expected to be around 30C by kick-off. Gray said the heat could have an impact on the tempo and intensity of the game but added: "You always have to be confident. I'm confident in my group. "Just because we won the first leg doesn't mean this is going to be easy. We need to be at our very best to give ourselves the best chance. "The players should be feeling good about themselves. This is what it's all about - European football, winning the tie, but it's only half-time." Gray expects Shkendija to be a different proposition on home soil and believes they will be "more aggressive". "On transition they were really bright last week," he said. "I do expect them to play slightly differently. They've been playing in Europe for a number of years and last season especially, getting to the knockout stages, they played a bit more reserved away from home. "I expect them to be a bit more aggressive at home. We've seen their threats, their pace on the break, their intensity. They have got quality, as we've seen. "It'll be a real tough test, as we know, but one that we want to try and build on what we've done already." Team news Grant Hanley and Nicky Cadden have not travelled with the Hibs squad, while Martin Boyle is in North Macedonia after missing Sunday's league win over Rangers at Ibrox. Jamie McGrath returned from injury as a substitute in that 2-1 victory and is fit to play.