Gary Mackay: Derbies make heroes and a new one can emerge in maroon

I can’t ever remember two derbies in a week, so a new hero could well emerge over the next ten days.

Let’s hope he is wearing maroon. Back-to-back Capital derbies is certainly an intriguing and exciting prospect.

We’re going into the unknown for players, coaches and supporters. That will also create a nervousness. How that nervous energy is channelled by the players will be important. They can lift supporters.

But at times supporters may need to lift the players too – just like the Hearts fans did in 1994 when we won 2-1 in the cup at Easter Road and Wayne Foster famously scored the winner.

Wayne Foster was the Hearts hero in the 2-1 Scottish Cup derby win at Easter Road in 1994

Hearts and Hibs hadn’t played each other in the Scottish Cup for a long time before that game.

But it’s happened a few times since then and Hearts have come out on top in most of them. That’s what we hope will continue to happen.

Thinking back, Hibs battered us that day in 1994, but we had resilience about us. We always felt we could beat Hibs and that proved to be the case as Fozzie came out as the hero.

Derby games do make heroes. John Robertson did it over a long period of time, of course. Fozzie was one. Paul Hartley has done it.

Players won't go into the game thinking about it, but down the line there will be lots of words written about one or two particular players over the next couple of weeks. I just hope these players are in maroon.

It’s all about getting some kind of result in a derby.

The two 0-0 draws I’ve been in attendance at so far this season have been really tight affairs.

But Hearts are the stronger team and Hibs need to win more than Hearts do on Saturday, so I think it will suit Hearts this weekend.

That said, this Hibs team like to pass the ball and there will be periods in both games when Hibs will have a lot of possession.

It’s at that time that the Hearts supporters can becomes the 12th man and help the team come out with a positive result in both matches. They could have a new hero to cheer too.