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Why Hibs believe they have a 'big chance' to make European history amid 'complete performance' reminder Easter Road side host KF Shkendija from North Macedonia in third qualifying round tomorrow night They’re working hard to strike the right balance between optimism and realism. Genuinely straining against the leash in their ambition to make history, lest they stand accused of taking anything for granted. While no-one at Hibs is making any assumptions about their chances of eliminating seasoned European competitors KF Shkendija from the UEFA Conference League, it’s impossible to dismiss the notion that they see this tie as more of an opportunity than a challenge. With Gothenburg or Gent facing the victors in the play-off round, a genuine bonus in a draw that might have seen Brighton or Monaco come up as opponents, you can see why David Gray and his players are so eager to take advantage of the lucky break. Owen Elding setting sights on European glory Looking ahead to tomorrow tonight’s first leg at Easter Road, young attacker Owen Elding certainly didn’t hold back when pressed on his team’s hopes, pointing out: “No Hibs team has got into the league phase before, so we have that chance to go a step further this season. This is a big chance; we showed at home in the last tie we’re a good side who create a lot of opportunities. On our, day we can beat a lot of teams.” Given Gray’s tendency to use history as an incentive for his players, a successful enough tactic when you consider some of the impressive boxes ticked under his leadership, it’s no surprise to learn that every single member of the squad is fully aware of the stakes involved in this third qualifying round clash. After playing fast and loose with their chances in the previous round, suffering a horrible away loss to Kosovan side FC Malisehva before turning the tie around back on home soil, there’s also an understanding that such sloppiness cannot be repeated. Elding, who scored the opener as Hibs ran out 4-1 winners last Thursday night, securing a 4-3 aggregate victory, pointed out: “If you’re not on it you’ll lose - simple as that. We showed good character to come back to Easter Road, put in the performance we did and get through. “We set the tone early in that game, it was good personally to get off the mark, and we knew we needed three goals. We got over the line and that gives us this week to look forward to. “I’ve really enjoyed it, to start the season with two European games straight away is what you want. Getting through the last round as well, it’s always a positive. “The last game was special, scoring in my first European game at Easter Road - but it only gets harder from now. In Kosovo we had an off day and lost, that showed us you can’t have them. We bounced back so now we just have to keep pushing on. “We are at home first this time, we want to take the game to them. When we got to North Macedonia next week we want to be in front in the tie and not have more work to do than we need to. “It’ll be the same as last week. We want to come out of the traps quickly and score a few goals.” Republic of Ireland Nations League hopes Elding, who has hopes of finally realising his international ambitions with the Republic of Ireland once the Nations League comes around, arrival of that elusive passport pending, has been deployed in a short of hybrid wide forward/No. 10 role in recent games. With Nathan Lowe leading the line, the 20-year-old has joined veteran skipper Martin Boyle in a supporting position. Happy to be learning lessons from an old-timer, he sees progress in the limited outings the trio have enjoyed so far, saying: “If the front line are all chipping in with goals then that’s what you’re looking for. We’re getting better all the time. “Away in Kosovo was the first time we’d played together. And I think it probably showed. “So in the home leg all three of us getting a goal, it shows we’re gelling together. There’s a lot of competition for places and that’s only going to push everyone on.” Shkendija represent an enormous leap in quality from the previous round. Having made it all the way through the league phases before being knocked out by Samsunspor last season, they’ve shown that they can not only compete but excel at this level. Gray revealed earlier today that he’d been hammering this message home to his players, insisting: “It's going to take a complete performance over two legs Absolutely. It will be a difficult test. “I've done a lot of work on them already this morning. I showed the players this morning exactly what we're going to be going into and how we're going to approach the game. “A difficult one, absolutely. And as you've just said, a team that's used to playing in Europe for the last few seasons and were successful last season. “When you look at what they've done, they've managed to get into the knockout stages. So it will be a difficult test. But, as I say, this is what it's all about for the players.” Revealing how he’d tried to raise the bar after guiding Hibs to within an extra-time goal of reaching the league stages last season, Gray said: “At the stat of the season you set your goals and your targets. And we look at how close we came last season. “Some of the opposition we played against, it took massive performances. When you think about the ties we had, some of the best performances I've seen for us and have been involved in, but great nights to be involved in. “If we can work and be the better side to get through this tie, can you be the first team to get into that European league stages? That is the target - and has been since day one. “At this moment in time, we're on course to do that. But it's going to take, as I've just said, two big performances.”