Hibernian head coach David Gray has played down fears of a serious injury for Joe Newell after they finished their pre-season friendly win over Cliftonville with 10 men.
The midfielder went off injured before the end of the end of the 5-1 behind-closed-doors victory in Kildare, Ireland.
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“At the end of the game, Joe Newell felt a little bit in his groin – more precautionary more than anything else,” Gray told Hibs TV.
“We just finished the game with 10 men rather than putting a player back on, which gave the players another physical and tactical challenge.
“They handled it really well and it was pleasing to see the younger boys, like Zach Bruce, Lewis Gillie and Joseph McGrath, step up and help see the game out without conceding.”
Jack Iredale had missed Hibs’ first pre-season friendly – a 1-0 defeat by Shamrock Rovers on Tuesday – but the centre-half returned along with players who had been given extra time off due to international duties.
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“He got good minutes today and felt no reaction, which is another real positive,” Gray added.
“It’s been a really good week and it’s always nice to top it off with a real good emphatic performance. It was a big step forward from Tuesday night.”
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