Hibs will rely on David Gray’s proven grace under fire – and their own battle-hardened experiences from a crazy season – to deal with the pressure of a season run-in laden with potential triumph and disaster, according to experienced goalkeeper Jordan Smith. And the Englishman revealed that he’s driven to repay the gaffer’s faith in him after winning promotion to the starting line-up AND a new long-term contract. Gray, who has been short-listed for the SPFL Manager of the Year alongside Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and Falkirk’s John McGlynn, has earned high praise for keeping his cool during the early stages of his first season as manager. The former club captain went through a major crisis as his team won just one of their opening 14 league games. Having dragged Hibs from the very bottom of the Scottish Premiership – a position they occupied as recently as early December – to their current position of third place, Gray has impressed his players with his refusal to get carried even as they put together an unbeaten run of 17 straight league runs. They’re currently ahead of Aberdeen on goal difference and three points clear of Dundee United, who visit Easter Road on Saturday. With third place potentially guaranteeing group stage European football, should Celtic do the expected against Aberdeen in this month’s Scottish Cup final, the pressure is on to hold off the Dons and United over the closing four games. Smith is adamant that the gaffer won’t flap or crack under the strain. Laughing as he addressed Gray’s reputation for maintaining a poker face in extreme circumstance, Smith – referencing last month’s stunning 2-0 away win over Rangers – said: “Yeah, we were quite impressed actually when we won at Ibrox that we got him to fist pump the crowd. I think that was the first time we've seen a little bit of emotion out of him. “But, you know, that's a testament to how good he is at maintaining his level of emotion throughout good times and bad times. And I think that carries on through the squad, you know. “He leads in a calm manner and that gives us confidence. So we know that he’ll have us right for the Dundee United game.” Smith believes going through the crisis of defeat after agonising defeat earlier in the campaign, even though it was before he broke into the team, must serve Hibs well as things get tight during the closing stretch, the former Nottingham Forest back-up saying: “Yeah, I think battle-hardened is the best way to describe us. You saw that even though it was flat in the dressing room after the Aberdeen game, as you’d expect with any loss. “But, you know, we've been through worse and off the back of what we've done over the last three or four months, we've put ourselves in such a fantastic position that we need to move on from it very quickly. That's the only answer to the question. “As you said, we've made it harder for ourselves than we would have liked. But ultimately, we need to outperform the other teams who we're fighting to attain that third place.” On a personal level, Smith is revelling in his role as No. 1, having stepped into the breach after a series of high-profile mistakes from fellow summer signing Josef Bursik. After a career spent mainly in a supporting role, the 30-year-old – now under contract until 2028 – is already dreaming of European football. “Yeah, 100 per cent right,” he said, adding: “I've sort of touched on this before that I couldn't have dreamed of this in all honesty. So the fact that we've got a real chance to do it now is something that I'm relishing and, you know, I honestly just want to make sure I can do everything possible to help this team get that over the line. GET THE LATEST HIBS NEWS DIRECTLY TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX WITH OUR FREE NEWSLETTER SERVICE “Because, you know, if you look at my career and having not played as much as I potentially wanted to and then, you know, going to Stockport last year in League Two, not playing a minute in the league to then come up here, as you say, signed as a backup goalkeeper. I'm very thankful for the way that everything's happened and the trust that's been placed in me to be the Hibs No. 1 for the vast majority of this season. “So I'd just love to repay that in all honesty. That's where I'm at with it. I think, you know, the manager putting his faith in me and asking me to be such a big part of this, that's, yeah, as I said, something I'm relishing, and I really hope we can get this done and get it over the line.” Your next Hibs read: The defensive stalwart inspiring loyalty and admiration in equal measure