Jamie McGrath is eager to build on Hibernian’s recent European outings as the Edinburgh club prepares for another continental campaign. Last summer, Hibs mounted a spirited run in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League, including a hard-fought loss to Midtjylland and a victory over Partizan Belgrade before narrowly being eliminated by Legia Warsaw in the Conference League play-off round.

Under manager David Gray, Hibernian will face either Albanian club FK Vllaznia or Kosovo’s FC Malisheva in the second qualifying round of this season’s Europa Conference League, scheduled for later this month. McGrath, an Irish international, expressed optimism about the club’s chances and highlighted the emotional significance of European competition for players and fans alike.

“Last year, coming so close against Legia still stings, but those nights with packed Easter Road and traveling to matches abroad are memories you never forget,” McGrath said. “The atmosphere under the lights, the buzz around the stadium and warm-up routines are hard to match anywhere else.”

While aware of their upcoming opponents—whom Hibs have been scouting by reviewing recent games—McGrath emphasized the importance of focusing on the immediate challenge first. “We can’t look past the first round, but if we get through, hopefully the next matches are favourable,” he noted. “Last season showed that, regardless of the draw, we can beat anyone on our day. That experience should give us even more confidence as we aim to go one step further this year.”

McGrath recently returned to Hibernian’s training camp in Dublin following his involvement with the Republic of Ireland national team in friendlies against Qatar and Canada. Although Hibs’ squad had been training for a week ahead of his arrival, McGrath believes that his international game time has kept him in good form.

“I was in Spain when I got a last-minute call-up from Ireland, and I was delighted to play 90 minutes,” he said. “It was a positive two weeks, and while I may need to shake off some rust, the minutes on the international stage have helped me keep up with the lads.”

As Hibernian prepares for their next European challenge, McGrath’s enthusiasm reflects the club’s ambition to make a deeper impact on the continental stage this season.