Hearts fans asked to turn up the noise to intimidate Hibs

Hearts winger Barrie McKay hopes a raucous Tynecastle Park atmosphere can unsettle Hibs in Monday’s New Year Edinburgh derby.

The Easter Road side have lost five of their last six matches dating back to early November and must try to arrest poor form at the home of their biggest rivals. Hearts’ win at St Johnstone on Wednesday took them three points clear in third place and five ahead of Hibs in the Premiership table.

With Tynecastle sold out for the first league match of 2023, McKay is anticipating a hostile crowd which could work in his team’s favour. “I think if you ask most teams the stadium they maybe like or dislike playing at it would be Tynecastle,” he commented. “The fans are really on top of you and if they get behind us it can be really quite daunting for some teams. Hopefully they do that on Monday.”

Martin Boyle’s stoppage-time equaliser earned Hibs a 1-1 draw last time the teams met in Leith in August. McKay stressed that Monday is not about revenge for Hearts. “No. Every game, you want to win, whether it’s a derby or not. If we can go and implement our game then hopefully the result will take care of itself. If we go into it thinking about things like that too much then it can hamper you. We just need to play our own game and not the occasion.

“We’ve probably not been at our best this season and we’re still up there [in third]. There’s a lot more to come from us. We need to keep pushing and see where it takes us.”

The 27-year-old scored what proved to be the decisive goal in midweek with a sumptuous 25-yard strike as Hearts won 3-2 in Perth. It was his first involvement after coming on as substitute and he is eager to score more often. “I actually said at half-time: ‘I’m going to come on and score today.’ I don’t even know why I said it because it’s not as if I’m known for goal-scoring,” he admitted. “I just had a feeling I was going to get a chance, at least, and thankfully it went in.

“I always say I want to score more goals. I’ve already scored more than last season so I’ve done better than that. I always want to score or assist or help the team. If I’m not doing that and the team is winning, then that’s all that matters.”

McKay is a strong contender to return to Hearts’ starting line-up against Hibs. He admitted the punishing pre-World Cup schedule took its toll after coming off the bench at St Johnstone. “Maybe a little bit, it’s obviously been a lot on the body, but I’m still young and I can play every game,” he stated.

Hearts fans are certain to make plenty noise against Hibs on Monday.

“The manager can pick me for every game but I will come out of games. I did it at the start of the season as well. It’s all about trying to bounce back and helping the team, when you are playing and when you’re not. It’s about pushing everyone in the right direction.

“Every game, you want to play but it’s the manager’s decision and you need to respect that. We’ve got a good squad here that means you can take boys in and out, and when you are on the bench you need to come on and impact the game.”