Nine interesting Edinburgh Derby facts: From twelve-goal thrillers to Hearts and Hibs unbroken records
Here’s a trip down memory lane as we look through the archives of Hearts vs Hibs
Derek McInnes and David Gray will face off in the first Edinburgh Derby of the season at Tynecastle on Saturday.
Hearts will look to extend their lead at the top of the SPFL Premiership table to five points after an unstoppable start to the league campaign. A win over Hibs for McInnes would put them eleven points adrift of their Edinburgh rivals.
As for Hibs, they currently have the bragging rights in the fixture, as the Leith side won the most recent derby in March. As Gray’s side have drawn their last five league games, there would be no better way to end a winless run than victory at Tynecastle.
From Paul Hartley and Mixu Paatelainen’s hat-tricks, to Aaron Hickey and Dwight Gayle’s last minute away winners, the grudge match has produced a plethora of unforgettable moments over the years. Saying that, here’s a list of nine facts you may not have been aware of about the Edinburgh Derby:
The first Edinburgh Derby
The very first match between Hearts and Hibs was played at The Meadows on Christmas Day 1875 in a ‘friendly.’ Hearts emerged victorious that day 1-0. There have been 665 Edinburgh Derbies since.
Overall Edinburgh Derby record
Hearts have the superior record in the fixture with 291 wins against their rivals. Hibs have won 209, while 166 have ended in a draw.
Most goals for Hearts
While many Jambos may believe ‘The Hammer of Hibs’, John Robertson to be their top scorer in derbies with his 27 goals, Hearts’ forward Bobby Walker actually bagged 33 goals against Hibs from 1896-1919. However, many of Walker’s goals came in non-competitive matches and Robertson’s tally of 27 is considerably more than Walker’s ‘competitive’ total of 15.
Most goals for Hibs
One of ‘The Famous Five’, Gordon Smith has recorded the most goals for Hibs in the fixture with 15 goals. However, James McGhee may have scored more for them in the 1800s, but not all the scorers were recorded back then.
Longest unbeaten run in the Edinburgh Derby
Remarkably, since the creation of the Scottish Premier Division in 1975, when it was established that Scottish clubs play each other four times a year, neither Hearts nor Hibs have won all four derbies in a season. Hibs had their longest unbeaten run in the fixture from 1974 to 1978 (12 games). Hearts went unbeaten between 1989 and 1993 (22 games) at a time when their owner Wallace Mercer attempted to merge the two sides.
Biggest Edinburgh Derby wins
Hibs recorded the biggest margin of victory in a competitive match when they beat Hearts 7-0 at Tynecastle in 1973. If friendlies are included, The Jambos recorded the biggest win in 1893, when they beat their rivals 10-2.
Players who’ve scored for both teams in an Edinburgh Derby
While 40 brave men have represented both Hearts and Hibs in their careers, only four have scored for both sides in derbies: Gordon Smith, Alan Gordon, Ralph Callachan and Darren Jackson.
Highest attendance for an Edinburgh Derby
The highest attendance for the match on record was on 2nd January 1950, when 65,860 Edinburgh locals watched the match at Easter Road. Hearts won the match 2-1.
Latest Edinburgh Derby
The last time the sides met was in March when Hibs were the victors at Easter Road. The match was 1-1 inside the first ten minutes after Martin Boyle and Jorge Grant both found the target. A Jack Iredale screamer in the second half ended up being the difference between the sides.