Early derby? Bring it on!
Neilson winds up capital rivals by insisting he’s happy clash is so soon
WHETHER it was intentional or not, Robbie Neilson made it clear on Saturday evening, still more than a week away from the first Edinburgh derby of the season, that he is decidedly different to his counterparts at Hibs.
Diametrically opposed to them, in fact, on what have been some pretty high-profile issues of late.
Easter Road manager Lee Johnson stated after his side’s humiliating Premier Sports Cup exit that he finds the early-season format ‘almost degrades’ the tournament. Not Neilson. He made a point of stating after a hard-fought league win over Ross County that he thinks it’s ‘a great cup’ because it gives clubs — although not his this term, thanks to their participation in Europe — four games in which to get match-sharp before the Premiership begins.
Hibs chairman Ron Gordon also hit the headlines recently when branding the SPFL’s decision to have Hearts visiting in his club’s first home game of the season on Sunday ‘absurd’ and ‘foolish’. Tynecastle boss Neilson takes a contrary view on that too.
‘I like the derbies coming early,’ he said. ‘It sets you up and gives you a chance to, hopefully, go down there and get three points.’ It is tempting to see these as the opening salvos in a week of progressively fevered build-up. Neilson taking two issues Hibs have been on their high horse over and either deconstructing or downplaying them.
Maybe that wasn’t the plan, but it felt like the words carried a certain purpose. Now it is up to his players to make sure their actions do the same.
Barrie McKay scored a fantastic second goal for the Jam Tarts against County to add to Alan Forrest’s opener and begin the campaign with three points despite Jordan White’s late consolation and despite the fact an electrifying first-half display from Malky Mackay’s side saw them play their hosts off the park.
The former Rangers man insists the early ring-rust was down to a lack of meaningful action before the big kick-off, but he echoed his manager in stating that the weekend’s all-important visit to Leith now can’t come quickly enough.
‘All the boys are looking forward to it. Whether it comes four or five games down the line, or whatever, it is obviously important that we go out and get the win,’ McKay said.
‘The fans expect you to win every game and there is no game bigger than the derby.
‘You saw in the first half (against County) that it can be difficult to come back into the first game of the season, but the most important thing was to get the win.’
What a struggle it was, though. County were brilliant, absolutely brilliant, in the opening period, hitting the post through Dominic Samuel and the bar through Owura Edwards. They were sharp, quick, relentless, direct and first to every ball. They could — and should — have blown Hearts away in the first half hour. The home fans knew it, too. Unrest in the stands turned into jeers and catcalls at the 30-minute mark and perhaps showed the level of expectation that now exists
at Tynecastle following last term’s thirdplaced finish and appearance in the Scottish Cup final. ‘They expect a lot from us and us, as players, need to deal with that pressure,’ said McKay. ‘You need to just continue to play your own game.
‘We weren’t at it in the first half against Ross County and gave the ball away too much. In the second half, though, I thought we were a completely different team.
‘The new boys have really added quality and you can see that.’
Forrest certainly made a positive impression with a sharp 59thminute finish from a lovely passing move he instigated and McKay’s effort was just exquisite, pulling a long ball from Alex Cochrane out of the sky, wrongfooting three white shirts with a seamless turn and then taking the ball past keeper Ross Laidlaw before slipping it home.
‘I am just glad to get off the mark early,’ he said. ‘Last year, I think it took me too long to get a goal. I just want to score and assist as much as I can and get a few more goals than last season.’
If McKay remains Hearts’ main creative force, Edwards, a 21-year-old on loan from Bristol City, has the potential to be a real game-changer for County in the absence of last season’s star performer Regan Charles-Cook.
Although running out of steam before being replaced just after the hour, he was magnificent for long stages on the left wing. He tormented Hearts and particularly Atkinson prior to his removal. He linked up nicely with Jordy Hiwula and Samuel.
With Josh Sims on the other side of the park and the likes of on-loan Southampton kid Kazeem Olaigbe and William Akio — currently out with injury — in the squad, the Staggies have plenty of exciting options in attack to complement the organisation manager Mackay brings as standard.
‘We have got other players too who can play in the front positions and mix it up,’ said Edwards. ‘I think this season will be a good season for us because we have a lot of good attackers.
‘One of the reasons why I came here is because Ross County play with wingers and I am a winger who likes to get on the ball and create chances.
‘It was very frustrating to not get anything from Hearts. The boys are very, very down, but we should be proud of our performance. We will only keep getting better.’
The technical ability and pace is not to be questioned. Mackay insists Edwards now just needs a bit of extra conditioning as he adapts to the rough and tumble of the Premiership.
Asked why he took him off in the second half, Mackay smiled: ‘He was absolutely goosed.
He couldn’t run any more, but with more training and more understanding of this league, that will push him on to playing longer.
‘He certainly looked as though he caused Atkinson and Toby Sibbick problems. It’s just about turning that into being relentless and being able to do that for 90 minutes, but there are other guys who are going to help with that too.’
HEARTS (3-4-3): Gordon 7; Sibbick 6, Halkett 6, Rowles 6; Atkinson (Grant 28), Haring , M Smith , Cochrane 7; Forrest 7 (Devlin 78), Shankland 6 (Boyce 71), McKay 7 (Halliday 78). Subs not used: Stewart, Mackay-Steven, Neilson, C Smith. Booked: Grant. ROSS COUNTY (4-2-3-1): Laidlaw 6; Randall 6 (Johnson 81), Baldwin 6, Iacovitti 6, Purrington 7; Callachan 7, Tillson 7; Edwards 8 (Olaigbe 63), Samuel 7 (White 76), Sims 6 (Dhanda 63); Hiwula 7. Subs not used: Eastwood, Loturi, Watson, Harmon, Paton. Booked: Baldwin, Purrington. Man of the match: Owura Edwards. Referee: David Dickinson. Attendance: 18,202.