Club captain David Gray has revealed that there has been an edge to training this week as every member of the squad has been trying to impress Head Coach Neil Lennon and get a starting place in the team for today’s Edinburgh derby against Hearts.
After last week’s draw against Ayr United, Gray believes the prospect of a cup tie in front of a full house at Tynecastle has inspired his team mates to put in extra effort this week.
He also praised the supporters, many of whom queued overnight to obtain tickets for the game.
Hibs of course go into the fixture as Scottish cup holders having knocked out Hearts en route to the final after being 2-0 down at Tynecastle.
The result still haunts the Hearts’ fans and many never forgave manager Robbie Neilson for that result.
Late goals from Jason Cummings and Paul Hanlon secured a replay and Neilson joked afterwards that Hearts would benefit from a share of the gate receipts at Easter Road.
An early Cummings strike proved decisive and the rest is history.
Hearts looked to be in difficulty a few weeks ago following Ian Cathro’s appointment however recent victories against Rangers and Motherwell means that the hosts go into the game as favourites.
Gray told Hibs TV:: “These games take care of themselves. There’s been a real edge to training this week and the manager is going to have a tough decision to make because everybody wants to play in these games and everybody is looking forward to it.
“You come in on a Monday after a bad result and it helps that you have a carrot at the end of the week to prepare for and the training’s been really good.
“When the draw was made we still had two or three important games to play so it was a case of putting the Hearts game to the back of our minds.
“Everyone knows that Hearts v Hibs is a massive derby and going to Tynecastle there is always a really good atmosphere.
“There is always an edge to these games and they are not always spectacular in terms of the football being played as it’s always a battle and whoever wins the battle wins the game.
“Fans have been sleeping rough to try and get tickets for the game which shows what it means to both sets of supporters.
“It’s been the same all season. The fans have been fantastic turning up in their numbers home and away.
“What we can take from last year’s game is that we know that we’re capable of going there and getting a result. We go into the game as underdogs, but that’s fine, we know what we’re capable of.
“If we apply ourselves and turn up on the day, we’re more than a match for anybody.
“We are fully aware of the expectations of this club and we expect to go there and get a good result.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
