Cathro says Holt is way off mark
HEARTS head coach Ian Cathro has hit back at Hibs ace Grant Holt by insisting the Jambos welcome the pressure of Sunday’s Edinburgh derby showdown.
The experienced frontman lit the fuse on the powder-keg clash this week by questioning how the Tynecastle outfit would handle their favourites’ tag when the city rivals clash in Gorgie.
Ahead of the Scottish Cup fifth-round tie, Holt said “we will see how they like the pressure”, while he suggested their recent 4-1 win over Rangers was simply down to their opponents being abject, rather than the quality of Cathro’s side.
Asked about the comments from the Hibs camp, Cathro queried the motives behind them, while claiming he has assembled a squad who will lap up the cauldron of derby day in the capital.
He said: “There can be a lot of reasons for that type of comment to be made – and each person will have their own reason. Is the pressure on us? That would be good. I’m happy to have it all and I think my players would be happy with that too, so we’ll take that pressure.
“I want these challenges and I want to bring players here that feel the same way. I think we are getting there – we have a squad that wants pressure, that enjoys the need to win.
“We understand that the games mean more to people and are more memorable and we respect that and like it. We enjoy the fact it adds pressure and some more spotlight.
“Everything is that little bit louder this week. But we enjoy that and, while our actual day-to-day will be pretty normal, we all enjoy big matches and relish that.”