Maroon Memories: Hibs left in a Jam as Paton runs riot

Football teams can be as temperamental as racehorses, and forecasting their future can be a risky and foolhardy thing to do, but, along with lots of other people, I will be most surprised if these new Hearts do not make a very big splash in Scotland's football pool this season.

Both Hibs and Hearts served up a real crackerjack derby at Easter Road on Saturday - for 36 minutes. For the next 54 it became merely a great game for Hearts, and that Easter Road bogey for Hibs lingers on. It was in the 36th minute that Cumming moved upfield to show his forwards how to shoot goals. His searing shot from over 20 yards was all that was needed to give his men that spark of inspiration. It was just as though some Merlin had waved his magic wand and imbued the maroon-clad players with twice their previous power, speed and penetration.

Hibs, still injury-ridden and sadly missing the drive and verve of their skipper, Ally McLeod, were ruthlessly and skilfully brushed aside and completely and dispiritedly crushed. Although the whole Hearts front line played masterly football, urged on by the drive of Cumming and Higgins, the most inspired of the five was undoubtedly Danny Paton who hammered home three great goals - the last one just seconds before the final whistle.

This "new" Paton is typical of these "new" Hearts. History would later show, however, that it would be 40 years until the next time a Hearts player scored a hat-trick in a derby, when Mark de Vries rattled in three in 2002.

When one ponders on their in-and-out milk-and-water form of the past two seasons, and over their full-blooded, scientific cutting-down of their opponents to size this season, it looks like a piece of football magic. For basically at least, these are still the same Hearts. But their whole approach to the game is different now, and they seem at least, to have completely rid themselves of that permutation bug and the 4-2-4 fever.

The introduction of W Hamilton has speeded up and revitalised the forward line; the half-backs are as steady a trio as any in the league; the backs blend perfectly and there isn't much wrong with Marshall in goal either. As for Hibs, they are going through a trying time just now with so many first-team stalwarts sidelined through injury. The potential is there and so is the spirit, while they certainly do not lack the firm, shrewd driving force from the boardroom. Their day will come, though. Incidentally poor Ally McLeod really boobed. While talking to him I was mildly astonished to see he was wearing a maroon tie with white stripes - on local derby day too!