Gary Mackay-Steven ready to prove Hearts mettle in Edinburgh derby after hand-break horror

The metal in his hand doesn’t make him Iron Man but finding a derby day winner could earn Gary Mackay-Steven superhero status from a fanbase who have seen Hearts soar above capital rivals Hibs in the league standings this term, but have yet to see that translated into derby superiority.

Picking up a hand injury in last month’s draw with Dundee United, he was forced to miss out the next three games but following surgery and a few new internal embellishments which could make passing through airport security more challenging, the 31-year-old winger is back in the squad and hoping to play his part in this afternoon’s derby against Hibs.

“Because of the way I fell I broke the bone in the back of my hand. I needed an operation to get it fixed. I needed a lot of metal work in my hand.

“I have plates and all sorts of metal in there now. It is a bit weird but you get used to it.

Gary Mackay-Steven has tested his injury in Hearts training. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

“When I knew I needed an operation I was worried but the healing process has gone well and now I can wear a protective thing which helps even more.”

His comeback has taken slightly longer than anticipated but the prospect of back-to-back derbies, today at Tynecastle, in the league, and next weekend, in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup, at a heaving Hampden, proved a powerful incentive.

“I was desperate to be back. Looking at the calendar, at all the games, these ones are the ones I didn’t want to miss. I am happy I have made it just and no more.

“The way I broke it I kinda needed to let the operation knit things together and for the plate to set before I could do stuff. So it was frustrating but it could have been worse. I need to wear a special kind of splint when I come back but I have been wearing it in training and it is not too bad.

Gary Mackay-Steven explains his hand injury which required surgery and metal plates inserted. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

“I couldn’t do contact until this week but I had been running before that You get used to it.”

And, he says it didn’t take long for his team-mates to trial its effectiveness.

“That was Craig Halkett! We were shoulder to shoulder and he tested it quite well. But you need to come through things like that because that’s the things that will come up in games, especially in derby games so it is all good.”

While the match is likely to come too soon for Cammy Devlin and Michael Smith and John Souttar sidelined until at least late season and Beni Baningime well into next, the return of Mackay-Steven and right back Nathaniel Atkinson is good news for Hearts, who arguably have less at stake than Hibs this time around but want the win nonetheless.

In the previous two derbies this season, defences and, in particular, goalkeepers, were on top as the capital rivals produced two goalless draws, leaving Mackay-Steven and his colleagues determined to break the stalemate this time around.

“For sure, yes. But in the first match both teams could have won it. We came off the pitch a little bit disappointed. It would be nice to experience scoring a goal, the crowd right behind us and that winning feeling. Definitely that’s the aim.”

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