Hibs let Hearts off hook at Easter Road - Gray eager to avoid derby repeat amid Tynecastle 'chaos'

Hibs are eager to make up for not capitalising on golden opportunities to “kill off” wobbling Hearts in the first Edinburgh derby of the season. And rookie head coach David Gray, drawing on his wealth of experience in big games at Tynecastle, has ordered his players to be “calm in the chaos” guaranteed to engulf a febrile corner of Gorgie on Boxing Day.

Gray’s men head into the derby on the up, having won three and drawn one from their last five games, scoring a dozen goals in the process. But they haven’t beaten Hearts on enemy territory since Martin Boyle’s double led the visitors to a 2-0 win on Boxing Day in 2019.

When the teams met at Easter Road back in October, Hibs had multiple chances to build on the 1-0 lead provided by Mykola Kuharevich’s goal 20 minutes into the second half. Failure to take those chances came back to hurt them as 17-year-old James Wilson capitalised on scrappy set-piece defending to equalise with just three minutes remaining.

Asked if there was still an element of disappointment in allowing a memorable win to slip away so late in the game, Gray admitted: “Yes, very much so. I think when you then think back to how the game went, how our season’s gone really, we missed a lot of big chances at big times to kill the game off. And then we get punished for a mistake late on in the game.

“But on the whole, how we played in the game and how the players dealt with it was very good. For a lot of the players that was their first derby.

“This will be the first time some of them have been to Tynecastle, which is a different experience in itself. I'll make sure the players are well aware of what they're going into and make sure they're going to look forward to it.

“Because it is a fantastic game to be involved in. There's no better place to go and win a game of football than at your local rivals.

“History also tells you it's a difficult place to go. It's about how can we go there and impose ourselves on them.

“You feel it in the build-up. You know it. The players get a sense of the big game. The anticipation around the stadium will be there and it will be even louder this time just because it's against us in that environment.

“But when I think back to how the first derby at Easter Road went, I always felt we were well in control of the game. Without having a lot of the ball - but the opportunities were coming.

“I think the frustration then comes from not going and winning the game, because it happens so quick. There are things happening so often that I don't really have time to think about the moment.

“That’s regardless of the game because the rewards are exactly the same. Three points.

“I know you talk about the difference between Hearts and Ross County or whatever. But once you're in the moment and the whistle goes it's all about trying to win the game - and it's not about who you're playing against.”

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A rare away win would put Hibs five points clear of their nearest and dearest rivals. Having been stuck at the bottom end of the Scottish Premiership for far too long in Gray’s first season as gaffer, the former skipper is eager simply to see his men climb the table.

“You can take a lot of confidence from it if you win this one,” he said, the Scottish Cup legend adding: “And the fans make you well aware of the expectation and the demands of the game. But at the same time it is just three points and a game of football.

“It's going to be magnified because of where both clubs find themselves at this moment in time. That's definitely going to be a factor in it.

“You can't get caught up in the noise of this fixture. You still need to go into the game with a game plan and not get too carried away. If you get carried away, you can end up making mistakes or having an anxiousness or nervousness in the game.

“The players need to be calm in the chaos. Because it will be chaos. And the team that settles quickest usually has the better day.”