Hibs players 'almost begged' board to keep David Gray as head coach

While Hibs went on to finish third in the Premiership, they were bottom of the table in November and Gray - in his first permanent job - was given a vote of confidence by the board.

Their faith was rewarded as Hibs went to seal the “best of the rest” tag and a place in the Europa League qualifiers in July. And Gayle - who retired at the end of the season - sang the praises of Gray and the work he has done at Hibs.

“The club is in good hands with the gaffer here,” said Gayle. “You can see the trust that the boys have in him, even from when things weren't going well.

“The boys were so emotional and almost begging the club not to part ways with him. Because the boys knew it was their fault - and it was only a matter of time before we were able to turn it around.

“The coaches have obviously thanked us for what we've been able to achieve and helped towards it, but at the same time it ultimately comes from him.

“So I think going into next year, like I said before, he's got the core players that are going to be able to relay messages to all the new players. And I think he'll be able to start the season well - and hopefully have a good season again.”

Strikers catch Gayle’s eye

Gayle was also impressed by fellow strikers Kieron Bowie and Martin Boyle, with the former called into the Scotland squad for the first time. The 22-year-old joined Hibs from Fulham last summer and despite a serious hamstring injury, the ex-Raith kid made a big impression on the veteran English hitman.

“He's got all the attributes that you'd want as a striker,” Gayle continued. “He gives the team that pivotal point to look for. Like I say, he's learning things and it's important that he starts to develop other parts of his game, maybe out of possession.

“But you can all see what he brings to the table when it gets to 60 minutes, and he comes on. It's like a breath of fresh air for him to come on for us and he's so powerful.”

And on Boyle, Gayle admitted that he voted for his Australian teammate Nectar Triantis as player of the year despite being hugely impressed by the 20-goal forward.

“I almost felt a bit guilty,” added Gayle. “We obviously had the Players' Award the other day and I voted Nectar. I felt a bit guilty coming away from it because Boyle has given the team so much and he's been ever consistent with his goal-scorings and he's such an outlet for us when we're counter-attacking.

“His pace has been unbelievable, and he's been so good finishing and he's been playing every single game. So I apologise, Martin, for not voting for you!”