Hibs can ice the mother of all cakes but stealthy Hearts need Edinburgh derby spoils to avoid 12-year low
Another Edinburgh derby, another high stakes encounter in race for Europe
Easter Road was an emotional place last weekend when Hibs defeated Celtic 2-1, with the club’s anthem Sunshine on Leith belted out by the fans following a statement victory from David Gray’s team.
Up in the directors’ box, owner Ian Gordon would have had cause to shed a tear. His late father Ron, who bought Hibs in 2019 and handed the Edinburgh outfit to his widow and son when he sadly passed of cancer in 2023, was a big fan of the song. Gordon Snr died in February two years ago and it added poignancy to an already charged afternoon.
Gordon Jnr, just 34, has not had it easy at Hibs since first coming in as a recruitment chief and then being escalated to the top of the tree following the death of his father. The club’s fanbase has been critical of the family’s decision-making during his stewardship but, finally, the American has cause to feel good about life at Easter Road.
Past mistakes still prove costly but last Tuesday night, at Hibs’ agm, there was little bitterness towards Gordon from the floor. Afterwards, in front of a gaggle of journalists, Gordon revealed that he was “donating” £7.2 million to the club to wipe out last year’s losses. In the grand scheme of Scottish football, that is a staggering amount of money to write off.
Gordon has consistently said that his devotion to Hibs is unswerving. “My family and I love this club,” he said on more than one occasion last week. A fat cheque certainly proves that.
Gordon might have wet eyes on Sunday afternoon again should Hibs cap off what has been some week already by defeating Hearts in the Edinburgh derby. After turning over Celtic and conducting a drama-less agm, Hibs then scored two late goals on Wednesday at Tannadice to defeat Dundee United 3-1 and move into fourth place in the Premiership. The cake has been baked, now for the icing and the cherry.
Hibs are on a cracking 14-game unbeaten run across all competitions and Gray, in his first season as head coach, is already being whispered about in some circles for a manager of the year award. Should he guide Hibs to victory over Hearts on Sunday and he will have steered the club to something they have not done since 2009: win two league derbies in a row.
Gordon was one of the men in Hibs’ boardroom who wanted Gray to take over from Nick Montgomery on a permanent basis last year and held firm when the pressure was really on in November, when Hibs sat bottom of the league and serious questions were being asked of their rookie manager. Patience has proven a virtue for a once trigger-happy Hibs hierarchy.
If there is one team outside of the Old Firm that comes close to Hibs in the form stakes, then it is their maroon rival from across the city. Hearts have only lost once in their past 11 matches and under the canny Neil Critchley, have stealthily climbed the table.
Critchley’s nadir came in December when the Jambos failed to beat Moldovan minnows Petrocub to advance in the Europa Conference League and then lost the Boxing Day derby to Hibs at Tynecastle. It was their first home derby reversal for five years but it acted as a reset moment for the team. Only Rangers have beaten them since.
Wednesday’s 3-1 win over St Mirren moved Hearts into the top six of the Premiership for the very first time this season. Some shrewd January signings, such as striker Elton Kabangu and defenders Jamie McCart and Michael Steinwender, have made a difference at both ends of the pitch. Kabangu has netted seven goals already since joining on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise and is the team’s top scorer this season after just two months at Tynecastle.
So used to being top dogs in Edinburgh recently, Hearts are on a three-game winless streak against Hibs. Lawrence Shankland’s late winner in the 2023 Christmas derby was the last time the Jambos faithful had cause to celebrate victory in this fixture. While Hearts failed to beat Hibs in four Scottish Cup meetings between 2015 and 2017, when the Hibees were out of the top flight, the last time the Gorgie boys went four leagues derbies without success was way back in the 2012/13 season.
Hearts trail Hibs by four points and probably need the win more than Hibs. For all Critchley’s good work, there has not been a statement victory since he took over in October. Leith would be a great place to achieve it and dispel any early fears about his derby credentials.
A draw might suit Hibs given where they are right now but riding a crest of wave, there is genuine optimism and confidence within Easter Road that they are peaking at the right time. Three wins in eight days against some of the best teams in the country would surely propel them to being favourites for third place - and allow Gordon to look to the heavens once more.
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