HALLIDAY’S STICK-0R-TWIST DILEMMA AT CLUB HE LOVES

READY and willing to play the role of pantomime villain, Andy Halliday is guaranteed a fiery reception should he take the field at Easter Road.

The trouble for the Hearts midfielder — who started and scored in Hearts’ 2-0 win over Motherwell yesterday — is that there is no certainty at all over his place in Robbie Neilson’s team for Tuesday’s Edinburgh derby.

Out of contract at the end of the season, Halliday doesn’t particularly want to consider a future away from a club he has grown to love over the past couple of seasons — but, still only 30 years old, neither does he wish to mark time as a squad player at Tynecastle.

‘I don’t want to sound cliched but, at the age I am at, I want to play football,’ he says. ‘I love it here. I have said that since the day I joined. I really enjoy the club.

‘So it’s a funny one. In the meantime, it is up to me to try to get back on the pitch. That is where I want to be.

‘I feel as if I have probably been a bit unfortunate at times as my form has been good when I’ve played.

‘I picked up an injury when I was in the team, then I came back and got sent off against Aberdeen, which I thought was harsh. So a couple of things haven’t quite fallen for me.

‘It’s up to me to play as well as I can whenever I’m given the jersey. For the most part, I feel I have done that but I don’t think there are many who have worn this jersey this season and let the team down.’

Halliday (below) has already laid the foundations for a postfootball career with regular media appearances. Bright and affable, the former Rangers man’s broadcast persona is somewhat at odds with the on-field snarler who can wind up opponents and audiences just by his presence.

He enjoys the caricature aspect of his career. Just as Celtic fans used to enjoy trying to get a rise out of him, so Hibs fans are likely to do the same this midweek.

He’s ready, willing and able to cop the flak and admits he’s been craving the opportunity since joining Hearts in 2020. ‘I have only experienced one Edinburgh derby so far and it was behind closed doors, so I am desperate to get a crack at it in front of some fans,’ he says. ‘Everybody gives me stick, so I’m used to that by now. I enjoy it and I think every player should.

‘It’s all in good jest and, if you don’t want to play in a derby game, there is something wrong with you. These are the games that you’ll look back on at the end of your career and say you were fortunate to play in.

‘It’s a great occasion but the goal is three points like any other game.’

Halliday’s exposure to the fixture was limited by Hearts’ status as a Championship club last term.

Newly-promoted, they have transitioned seamlessly to Premiership life and, in many respects, Neilson’s side has looked far more comfortable operating at a higher level.

Halliday hasn’t had as much as game time as he would have liked but he has enjoyed being part of a team that is healthily placed behind the Old Firm.

The chance to nick Hibs’ crown as this term’s ‘best of the rest’ behind the Glasgow two, holds appeal.

‘We took a lot of criticism last season and probably rightly so,’ he concedes.

‘But we always thought we had a squad more than capable of coming up to the Premiership and competing.

‘We didn’t want to be languishing in the bottom six, just trying to establish ourselves back in the league.

‘We wanted to show how good we are and, for the most part of this season, we’ve done that.’