McGowan: It’s only game in town for fans

RYAN McGOWAN stressed today that scheduling the Edinburgh derby on the same day as the League Cup final was not an issue – because fans in the Capital are only concerned with the Hearts-Hibs encounter.

Celtic take on Kilmarnock at Hampden Park for the Scottish Communities League Cup at 3pm tomorrow. Three hours before, Hearts and Hibs will kick off at Tynecastle in a game which McGowan said is the sole concern for supporters in Edinburgh.

“Not many people in Edinburgh would be too worried about the cup final because none of the teams are involved. The derby will be the biggest game that they see,” said the Hearts defender. “It’ll be a game that both sets of supporters will want to win for bragging rights. It will be the last derby of the season, so it could be a long time savouring the win.”

McGowan also said Hearts are unfazed by the 12pm kick-off time. The only difficulty is in digesting the pre-match meal. “It’s not too bad. Having spaghetti bolognese or chicken for your breakfast sometimes isn’t too pleasant. It’s just something that you get used to over time. We’d be more worried about the game than what time it kicks off at.”