Hibs ace talks supermarket supporter shout-out as derby week fever builds ahead of Hearts clash at Easter Road
Former Aberdeen playmaker inspired David Gray’s side to December victory
Hibs ace Jamie McGrath has revealed how supermarket shouts from fired-up fans have underlined the importance of this weekend’s Edinburgh derby at Easter Road. And the Irishman says supporters have left players in no doubt over expectations as they look to wreck Hearts’ title ambitions.
Former Aberdeen and St Mirren star McGrath, who scored and bagged an assist on his first derby start as Hibs beat Hearts 3-2 at home back in December, revealed that it hasn’t taken long for him to get to grips with the capital’s footballing rivalry. With the stakes so high ahead of Sunday’s game, he’s already received some reminders from punters.
"I think from minute one it's drummed into you,” said the summer signing. “No matter what you do, just make sure you come out on the right side of these results, it doesn't matter how the league goes.
"For us, it's just another game. There's a lot of noise around it. We know we have a good opportunity to go in and hopefully take maximum points.
"But even in Tesco yesterday, walking around, we had a few shouts, like: 'You know what you have to do on Sunday!' Stuff like that. It's all good. It adds to the excitement going in."
Derby feels different from facing Hearts with Dons
Comparing his previous experiences of facing Hearts, during his Aberdeen and St Mirren days, with the intensity of walking out in the green-and-white of Hibs, McGrath said: "The outside noise is a lot bigger. We know what it means to the fans. So we've that added pressure as well.
"I think it's the first big derby I've played in my career. I've played Dundalk-Drogheda in the derby back home and stuff like that; Wigan-Bolton too.
"This is definitely the biggest one to be involved in. You sense it from minute one when you walk into the club.
‘Beating Hearts best memory so far’ - McGrath
"We felt it in Tynecastle the game previously. We've tasted both sides of it now, home and away.
"Both sets of fixtures are a great one to play in. Both bring different challenges.
"We know we'll have the full support behind us now on Sunday. It's up to us to give them something to cheer about.
"I think every game is going to be different. Of course, we can try to approach it the same way as we did the last home game. We can go in with the same mind set and attack the game from minute one and get the fans right behind us, which really helped us.
"I think if we took more of our chances, it could have been more on the day. But on the flip side, we know that Hearts have dangerous players going the other way. We can't be too gung-ho early on.
"Yeah, definitely, that derby win here is my favourite memory so far. Hopefully, I can do it again on Sunday."