Top 10 capital derby appearance-makers

1 John Robertson 55 '“ HeartsHearts' record league goalscorer made 52 starts and three sub appearances in the fixture, scoring a remarkable 27 goals against Hibs at a rate of a goal every other derby in his 17 years at Tynecastle.

Pat Stanton in action for Hibernian.

2 Gary Mackay 53 – Hearts

The Jambos’ record appearance holder started in 47 derbies, coming off the bench in six others, and scored four derby goals. His first goal was in Hearts’ 2-1 victory on 
1 January 1985 at Easter Road.

3 Henry Smith 47 – Hearts

Goalkeeper Smith lost only six matches against the Hibees during his 15-year spell at Tynecastle, playing in every single one of the 17 games Hearts went unbeaten in derbies between 1983 and 1987.

4 Gordon Smith 40 – Hibs

One of the leading lights at Easter Road as part of the “Famous Five” in the Fifties, Smith scored 174 goals for Hibs in competitive games, 15 of which came in his 38 Edinburgh derbies for the Hibees. He went on to play in two derbies for Hearts after leaving Hibs in 1959.

5= Craig Levein 38 – Hearts

Future Scotland manager Levein was also part of that impressive 17-game unbeaten run, scoring the equaliser and his first derby goal in the 2-1 victory in August 1984. The centre-back scored four goals, the same as Mackay, against Hibs.

5= John Colquhon 38 – Hearts

Scored the opener on his derby debut, a 2-1 win at Tynecastle which was Hearts’ ninth match of their 17-game run. The winger notched five against the Hibees.

7 Gordon Hunter 36 – Hibs

Mackay said Hunter “hated losing against us [Hearts]”, and no wonder. Hunter played in 31 games for Hibs without winning. He eventually had some joy, scoring in a 1-0 win which ended a 22-game barren streak for the Hibees in 1994.

8 Pat McGinlay 34 – Hibs

Another Hibs starter who played during the torrid years in the early Nineties, he was sent off when Hearts won 4-1 in Leith in 1991. But he did score twice against the Jambos, in separate 2-2 draws in 1995 and 1998.

9 Bobby Walker 33 – Hearts

Walker scored 15 goals in competitive games against Hibs in an 18-year career at Tynecastle at the turn of the 20th century. If you include local games, not considered when compiling modern-day records, he played in 92 derbies, scoring 33 goals.

10 Pat Stanton 32 – Hibs

Stanton, pictured left, won 57 per cent of his derbies, playing in the Hibs side that went first ten then 12 games unbeaten against Hearts in the Seventies. Hibs full-back Lewis Stevenson will join him on 32 derbies if he starts on Wednesday.