David Gray says he feels frustrated and disappointed after Hibs were defeated 2-1 by Motherwell on the opening day of the Scottish Premiership campaign.

Austrian midfielder Lukas Fadinger gave Motherwell the lead from the penalty spot in the 40th minute before Martin Boyle levelled for Hibs in the 56th minute, converting from the same penalty spot.

Despite plenty of pressure from Hibs as they tried to find a winner, it was Alfred Johansson’s side who took all three points after a quick counter-attack was finished by Ibrahim Said in the 85th minute, sending the 2,000 away supporters into a frenzy.

After a frustrating end to the game, Gray spoke to Hibs TV after the match.

“I think the immediate feeling is real disappointment and frustration because of the manner in which we ended up losing the game. I believe, especially with the way the second half went, we should have come away with three points. If not three points, then at least a point.

“The goal we conceded sums it up. It was real naivety, and that’s what cost us the game.

“Even in the first half, giving away the penalty was poor. Looking at the balance of play, I thought we had the better moments in the first half without creating any real clear-cut chances.

“I thought we restricted Motherwell well, and apart from the penalty, they offered very little. The penalty came from poor decision-making, which can happen in games.

“I thought we were much better in the second half in terms of the intensity to get after Motherwell. I certainly got that reaction at half-time, and I thought we were miles better.

“We got back to 1-1, and I thought there was only one team that was going to go on and win the game.

“I can’t fault the players for their effort, intensity or intent to go and win the game.

“I thought the substitutions helped us attack and showed we were trying to do that, especially at home when it went to 1-1. We wanted to make sure we were the team in the ascendancy, and I think the stats will show that as well.

“The only stat that really matters is the one at the end. We lost the game 2-1 through, I’m going to use the word again, naivety.”

The Hibs boss refused to blame individuals who had contributed to losing the ball in the lead-up to Motherwell’s second goal, before insisting that his side were the better team throughout the 90 minutes and deserved to win the game.

“That’s not just aimed at any individual who gave the ball away. Yes, losing it in that area was poor, but it’s also about the opportunities and decision-making after that to make sure the ball doesn’t end up in your goal.

“That could be making sure the game stops immediately or delaying the attack for as long as possible. I thought our defending in that situation cost us the game today.

“It’s really tough to take because we wanted to start the season on the front foot and positively.

“I thought we were the better side across the piece and deserved to win the game. Unfortunately, we’re standing here with zero points and that’s what makes it really tough to take.”

Gray is hoping his players can bounce back from their opening-day defeat at the earliest opportunity, while underlining the importance of Thursday night’s European match at Easter Road.

“The positive is that we’ve got a good chance to go again on Thursday.

“It’s my job to pick the players up because they’ve put a lot into that performance. As I said, they deserved to win the game, or at least get a point from it.

“There are a lot of positives to take and a lot for me to analyse, but we need to pick ourselves up because it’s another huge game here on Thursday night.

“It’s different playing the first leg at home rather than away. We’ve picked up a few bumps and bruises, so we need to make sure the players recover quickly.

“The games come around very quickly – we know what’s coming, and we need to make sure we bounce back as quickly as we can.”

Hibs face North Macedonian side KF Shkëndija in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round on Thursday evening.