From family feuds to bragging rights

LIKE ANY Hearts fan, the Edinburgh derby is a match

I always look forward to. Our club has an excellent record against city rivals Hibs, with 143 wins to Hibs’ 86 in competitive fixtures, and 286 wins to Hibs’ 206 in all fixtures.

I’d struggle to choose just one favourite Edinburgh derby moment. Mark De Vries’ four goal debut in 2002 in a rain soaked 5-1 drubbing of the Easter Road side, or Wayne Foster entering Hearts folklore with his late Scottish Cup 4th round winner followed by his famed celebration on the fence? Or it might be the 2014 “relegation derby”, where Hibs came to Tynecastle to relegate Hearts and lost 2-0. But it could easily be the biggest derby of them all, the 5-1 Scottish Cup Final victory in 2012.

The Edinburgh derby is the domestic highlight of the season for both Hearts and Hibs fans and it’s easy to see why. I can’t speak for others, but coming from a family that is half Hearts and half Hibs, the rivalry is solidly built on who gets to own the bragging rights.

The Edinburgh derby is very much a “local derby” and with the majority of both sets of supporters anchored in Edinburgh (or just outside the city), it doesn’t suffer from negative influences which a certain other Scottish derby attracts.

It is without doubt one of the biggest derbies in the country and with the return of supporters after a long 17 months, the atmosphere at Tynecastle on 12 September creates the potential to be one of the best ever.