Mickey Weir: Hibs are facing danger so they have to put Hearts to the back of their mind

I have to say, going into Monday’s draw for the semi-final of the Scottish Cup I had a feeling we would get Hearts.

It will be a terrific occasion, a great day for everybody to look forward to, especially after fans were deprived of seeing the same fixture in person in 2020. I'm certainly looking forward to it and it'll be the same for both sets of supporters.

It’s interesting the game in Glasgow will take place seven days after the teams meet at Tynecastle in the final match before the Premiership split.

The league game will have its own importance but it won't have any impact whatsoever on the semi-final. It's a completely different event altogether. It would be great to win the game with any derby, but it won't have a baring on what happens the following week. It's a semi-final, it's a one-off. It's about handling the pressure which comes with that.

Hibs lost 1-0 against Aberdeen at Pittodrie earlier in the season. Picture: SNS

We've drawn the previous two games 0-0 and had chances in both to win them, so even if we lose we'll have the confidence to go and win the game regardless of what happens in Gorgie on April 9.

But that’s still a few weeks away and, for now, the task at hand is focusing on league duty and getting three points from Aberdeen this weekend. We’ve still to secure our place in the top six after all.

Players will say that they're not thinking about the semi-final, but it's always there at the back of your mind when you've got such an important game coming up, especially for younger players who haven’t been around the block as much. But they should be able to keep their concentration and just keep winning, because ultimately that's going to help confidence which will boost their chances of winning once the Hearts tie arrives.

The main thing I want to see from the team in the final three games before the split is to show some consistency. We know they can keep a lid on things defensively with only one goal conceded in the last four games, which is always a good start, but they need to start scoring goals and being a threat more regularly. It's difficult to get consistency from a young side but if you can manage it then you're well on your way.

Anything could happen at Aberdeen on Saturday. They've got a new manager in Jim Goodwin who's still finding out about the team, still finding out about the club. He's still trying to figure out the calibre of players he's got at the moment and how he wants them to play.

It's a dangerous opponent because, while they're down in tenth place and they haven't found their feet yet under the new manager, we know they're very capable. There's a lot of talent in that squad. They're not in great form but it means nothing because it will turn around sooner or later. Shaun Maloney will know that and the players should too.

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