Hibs midfielder Shinnie salivating at the prospect of his maiden Edinburgh derby
ANDREW SHINNIE was a neutral when Hibs last visited Tynecastle – yet he still got goosebumps watching Paul Hanlon’s dramatic equaliser.
Now the 27-year-old cannot wait to experience the blood and thunder of the Edinburgh derby for real.
The Scottish Cup fifth round has thrown up a repeat of the clash from last season, when the Hibees roared back from a 2-0 deficit at half-time to rescue a draw, sparking bedlam among a packed away section in Gorgie.
Cup-winner Fraser Fyvie recently cited that fixture as the moment the Hibees began to believe they would end their 114-year hoodoo and lift the trophy. Indeed, they went on to defeat the Jambos in the replay before seeing off Inverness, Dundee United and Rangers to claim glory.
Shinnie who was on loan at Rotherham from Birmingham City at the time, recalls the drama of the clash and how he fancied being a part of it.
Shinnie recalled: “I have seen the Hibs fans in the derbies on TV and they are brilliant but you probably need to play in it to fully appreciate it.
“I saw the goals from the derby last season, I remember Paul (Hanlon) wheeling away when he scored late on and the fans going crazy. It makes you want to play in it.
“That’s what I was thinking when I came here. I wanted to experience a Hibs-Hearts derby, so when the draw came out I was delighted.
“The other night was a bit touch and go – and if we had got Raith Rovers we’d have gone there – but I’m just delighted that I’ll hopefully get to take part in an Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle. It doesn’t get better than that.”
Meanwhile, Queen of the South finally welcome in 2017 at their Palmerston Park home when Hibs visit this afternoon and Doonhamers manager Gary Naysmith is hoping that the home fans do not recognise his team.
Naysmith explained: “This is our first game of the New Year at home which is a bit unusual but we are looking forward to being in front of our own fans again.
“The last time we were there we played out a goalless draw with Ayr that took our winless run to 13 games.”
“Things have changed a bit since then and we are going into the game with confidence after picking up seven points from three away games.”
The former East Fife boss added: “It could have actually been better than that as we should have won at Dundee United.
“We have scored eight goals in those three games and looked a much sharper side.
“The players we brought in this month as well as the existing squad deserve great credit for getting my time here up and running and improving our league position.”
“We now have the second best away record in the league, however having that record and sitting fifth in the table shows that there is work to be done at home. That starts against Hibs.”