David Gray handed massive double Hibs injury boost as pair could make returns vs Clydebank

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Hibs are heading into the upcoming Scottish Cup weekend with the wind firmly in their sails.

David Gray’s men emerged from the busy festive Premiership schedule as one of the form teams in the top-flight and they are managing to continue that well into January.

Hibs are now unbeaten in seven games after overcoming Motherwell with ease on Saturday and now face a very different proposition in the shape of non-league Clydebank in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

The Easter Road tie delivers an opportunity for Hibs to rack up the goals and build their confidence even more, even if Clydebank are flying high themselves in the West of Scotland Premier Division.

With just two days until that game, Hibs boss Gray has revealed to the press that he has two strikers on their way back from injury who could get some much-needed minutes.

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Mykola Kukharevych & Kieron Bowie could play for Hibs vs Clydebank

Ukrainian striker Kukharevych suffered a groin injury in the December fixture against Celtic in Glasgow and hasn’t been seen since.

He was a miss during the festive period, even if Hibs managed without. £600k summer signing from Fulham, Kieron Bowie, is the other in question.

Fans are keen to see what the Scotland U21 starlet can really deliver with Hibs after a period of months out due to a hamstring tear sustained on international duty in September.

Both forwards are in contention to feature on Saturday in the cup, as Gray said: “Kieron has continued to progress in training, which is good.

“He got through all of this week so far. Him and Myko have trained together all week, which is good. We’ll really just have to see how he’s reacted from that.

“We’ve done a lot of bigger space stuff with him (Bowie), make sure he’s got no reaction, and then we’ll just weigh up whether or not this weekend’s too soon or not – or whether there can be some sort of involvement for the both of them, which is positive.

“Kieron’s got a lot of things to get through before then. But hopefully they could both be involved this weekend.”

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Who else is out injured for Hibs?

Hibs have had to deal with a spate of injury issues over the past few weeks, but are managing just fine on the pitch without some of their key players.

Captain Joe Newell has a groin injury at the moment and could be another week or two before being available for selection again.

French attacker Elie Youan was expected to be back for the Motherwell victory last weekend but did not quite make it in the end.

But Gray said it would only be a matter of days for him and with that, he is likely to make the matchday squad against Clydebank.

Defender Marvin Ekpiteta is a long-term injury absentee and the former Blackpool man isn’t expected to be fit until the beginning of February, possibly the end of January.