Hibernian

Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

Derby defeats are never good and there's a lot of frustration around Hibs' approach to the game at Tynecastle.

There's some allowance for playing to the conditions - the effects of Storm Amy were still evident as the teams kicked off - but Hibs' lack of attacking intent and tendency to lump the ball forward rather than playing through Hearts was not pleasant on the eye.

The defeat was our first league loss this season following a string of draws and came about thanks to another late goal, a habit Hibs have failed to kick this season.

It's far from crisis time at Hibs - we're better placed than we were this time last season - but that's a very low bar.

David Gray's team last season was better than the sum of its parts. You could pick a handful of candidates most matches as potential man of the match. The opposite is true this season, at least domestically.

The bar was set high with the European performances, but domestically Hibs have only hit those heights fleetingly and the system adopted by Gray isn't bringing the best out of any one player never mind the team.

We go into the international break now on a bit of a downer before Livingston come to Easter Road.

By then I hope Gray has figured out what's not working and how to fix it, and we can get back to winning ways.

You can find Matty Fairnie at Longbangers podcast, external

Watch all the highlights from Hearts' stoppage-time Edinburgh derby victory against Hibernian at Tynecastle in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Hibernian's 1-0 Edinburgh derby defeat to Hearts.

Here's what some of you said:

Colin: Lost the game because we weren't clinical enough. Time for level heads and not knee-jerk reactions because we lost a derby. We've got a good squad so let's dust ourselves down and move on.

George: A bit unlucky as Martin Boyle hit the bar, but overall we huffed and puffed - didn't ever really put our game together. Not sure David Gray got the changes done quickly enough as several were working very hard, but it just wasn't working. Sliding down the league, death by a thousand cuts, but heads up. They weren't that much better than us. Just the one class cross takes out our whole defence and the finish from Craig Halkett was quality, so move on and start again.

Martin: Typical, it was a poor game to be honest. Neither goalkeeper was really tested. A draw was a fair result but we switch off again, why does every team play until the whistle apart from us?

Gordon: Ridiculous to lose yet another goal, and the game, in stoppage time. Unbelievable? Sadly not, all too predictable, something is obviously fundamentally wrong. The players, management or coaching staff? Whatever it is, it must be addressed quickly or we are in big, big trouble. Our failure to take our chances at the other end of the pitch highlights the obvious - we badly, badly need a goalscorer.

Michael: Really poor. No tactics, no game plan, no composure and no pace. Such a dire performance that Hibs fans have been used to this season. What was Gray thinking?

Lee: Hibs need a dependable goalkeeper and defence. Once we remove this defensive vulnerability, the rest of the team will have the freedom to actually go and win games. This losing late goals and too many draws scenario has been going on too long!

Hibernian head coach David Gray: "It was a poor game of football. I don't think the conditions helped. Whatever happens, all the good work you do within the game's undone in the very last second of the game by losing the goal.

"I'd like us to carry more of a threat, I'd like us to play more at times. There was very few chances within the game. It probably sums up our season, not taking our chances when they do come.

"We did have the biggest chance of the game before they scored and we didn't take it and then you get punished for not being able to see it out at the other end. We don't do enough to make sure we at least come away with a point."

Craig Halkett sparked bedlam at Tynecastle with an added-time Edinburgh derby winner against Hibernian to ensure Hearts will go into the international break top of the Scottish Premiership.

Read the match report.

Have your say here.

Image source, SNS

Hibs defender Grant Hanley insisted he and his team-mates are preparing for the first Edinburgh derby of the season like they would "any other game."

The experienced Scotland defender is in line for his first taste of the match.

"Who performs better has a better chance of winning the game," Hanley told the media on Friday. "As players, you've got to carry that [professionalism] into it and approach it as you would any other game.

"You do your work during the week. The level of detail that goes into any game now is obviously very high. You go in the game and try and approach it that way."

Hanley, 33, is yet to taste league victory in a Hibs shirt, as David Gray's side have drawn all five Premiership games since he arrived.

While the run has been frustrating, given the highs of last season's campaign, the mood is still optimistic in the Hibs camp.

"I know it's really difficult to put your finger on one thing," Hanley said when asked for an explanation to Hibs' current patchy form. "There may be two or three different factors going on. It may be just a bit of a coincidence at times. It happens in football.

"As players, it's important not to take it too high or too low. It's important to try and stay level and analyse it and look at the aspects where we could improve.

"Also, keep trying to do the things that have brought us success before and keep doing what we're good at."

Hearts sit top of the table under new boss Derek McInnes, but Hanley is not cowed by their rivals - or in-form striker Lawrence Shankland, who he knows from Scotland squads.

"They've started the season well, there's no hiding that fact," he said. "We'll approach it like we do every week. As I said before, the level of detail that we go into whoever our opponent is going to be is really high. I'm sure we'll be prepared for it.

"I know Lawrence reasonably well, but you don't go into a game looking at one player. They've obviously got goals all over the pitch, as they have shown so far this season.

"Again, the detail of looking at where they can hurt us or where they've hurt teams so far this season is what we try and nullify."

Image source, SNS

Hibs head coach David Gray is sure top-of-the-table Hearts will be full of confidence going into Saturday's derby at Tynecastle, but is buoyed by his unbeaten run in the fixture last season.

Neither side has lost in six Premiership games this term, although Hearts are eight points in front of their city rivals.

"It's not always about form, it's not always about the team that's playing the better football," said Gray, who has doubts over midfield pair Jamie McGrath and Miguel Chaiwa but welcomes back defender Rocky Bushiri to his squad.

"It is all about who turns up on the day in these games, and who can be calm in the chaos as well.

"There is a lot of emotion around the game, there's a lot of intensity around it. So it is about the team that can settle the quickest."

Gray has been impressed by the work done at Hearts by Derek McInnes but claims his main focus is on his own players.

"Every game you go into, you look at all of the team's strengths and their weaknesses, and areas in which you feel you can try and get an upper hand and that doesn't change regardless of the opponent," he said.

"One thing you're adding to this team at this moment is they're full of confidence, they've got really good individuals.

"They had good individuals last season, players that can hurt you all over the pitch. And the manager's very experienced at this level.

"It's got all the makings of what I believe could be a good derby.

"It's about trusting your players and giving them all the information, making sure they know exactly what to expect, having a clear gameplan and not worrying about the opposition too much."

Hibs have lost just once in the past eight derby meetings and are aiming for a third successive victory for the first time since 1922.

"There's lots of stats around the fixture," added Gray. "The one that will matter will be the result at the very end of the game.

"We need to take confidence from the fact the players went there last season and won, because it is something that hadn't been done for a while."

Image source, SNS

Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon is back in contention, while Christian Borchgrevink (illness) and Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring) are also pushing for a return, but Ageu (hamstring), Frankie Kent (knee), Ryan Fulton (groin) and Finlay Pollock (hamstring) are still out.

Hibs boss David Gray will make a late call on the fitness of Miguel Chaiwa (hamstring) and Jamie McGrath (Achilles) after they picked up injuries against Celtic last week.

Rocky Bushiri returns after missing out due to a personal matter last weekend but Joe Newell (groin), Elie Youan (ankle) and Alasana Manneh (hamstring) are still out.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

David Gray has been speaking to the media before Hibs face Hearts in the first Edinburgh derby of the season this weekend.

Here are the main lines from the Hibs boss:

• Key defender Rocky Bushiri returns to the squad after missing last week's draw with Celtic. Jamie McGrath is also back training, while Miguel Chaiwa's hamstring injury is not as bad as first feared.

• Hibs have won the past two derbies and are unbeaten in four against Hearts, but Gray says the result is the "only stat that will matter".

• He adds: "This is a game everyone should look forward to, as a Hibs player especially, and I think it's the one you always look at as soon as the fixtures come out - when's the first derby?"

• Gray is "not surprised" by Premiership leaders Hearts' impressive start under Derek McInnes, saying: "They've got a good squad, a very experienced manager... we know it's a tough challenge."

• However, he insists form goes out the window in any derby: "It's all about who turns up on the day in these games and who can be calm in the chaos, the team that settles."

• Gray insists Hibs "need to take confidence" from winning in Gorgie last season for the first time in five years, adding: "There's no better place to win as a Hibs player than at Tynecastle."

• The head coach says he will speak to players who have not experienced this fixture before to make sure "they are not caught off guard".

• He points out that "in one of the derbies last year, the teams were 11th and 12th in the league" to highlight how far they've both come.

Image source, SNS

Former Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson is relishing the prospect of a "real barnstormer" Edinburgh derby where the Tynecastle hosts can make "a big statement" about their ability to maintain a challenge at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Derek McInnes' side host Hibernian with the possibility of moving five points clear of reigning champions Celtic - and 12 ahead of Rangers - before the Glasgow duo play on Sunday.

Neilson has played for and managed Hearts teams who have made the early running before falling back and says the key is whether they can find the consistency through November to January "where the real title challenge will either come or go".

"It is a massive game from both clubs' perspective, but especially from Hearts because they get that opportunity to go five clear of Celtic but also well clear of Rangers," Neilson told BBC Scotland's Scottish Football Podcast.

"That would start to put massive pressure on both these clubs - that they have to go into their games on Sunday and have to win.

"If they go to 12 points, it gets to the stage where Rangers are relying on other teams to beat Hearts.

"They are in a brilliant position and tomorrow could be a big statement."

Like their city rivals, Hibs are unbeaten in the league, albeit five draws out of six leaves David Gray's side eight points behind in sixth.

"I think tomorrow will be a real barnstormer and I'm really looking forward to it," Neilson, currently assistant at Belgian club Lommel said.

"I think it will be top level, because both teams have got goals in them - both got good strikers.

"Obviously Bowie and Shankland are doing well for both teams, but they also have a lot of creative players and they've both got a lot of options from the bench.

"I can see the game twisting and turning as they go along. I don't see anyone really dominating it."

Image source, SNS

• Both sides have scored in six of the past seven Edinburgh derbies in the Scottish Premiership, with the exception a 1-0 Hearts win in December 2023.

• Hibs have won their past two Scottish Premiership games against Hearts – as many as their previous 15 beforehand (W2 D8 L5).

• Hearts have won nine of their past 10 league games (D1), also scoring 2+ goals in nine of those matches, including their latest six in a row.

• Hibs have drawn seven of their past eight league games (W1), including each of their latest five in a row. Before this, Hibs had only drawn six of their previous 25 in the Scottish Premiership (W14 L5).

• Hearts boss Derek McInnes has never lost as a manager at home to Hibs in the top flight in 15 previous fixtures (W8 D7). His last four (all with Kilmarnock from 2023 to 2025) have all been drawn, though.

Hibernian head coach David Gray has revealed that a barnstorming Tynecastle performance by Josh Mulligan for Dundee against Heart of Midlothian helped seal the midfielder's summer move to Easter Road and hopes for a repeat by the 22-year-old in Saturday's derby. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Colin Moffat
BBC Sport Scotland

When Edinburgh's big two meet at Tynecastle on Saturday, Hearts will be aiming to maintain their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Hibs are looking to make it three successive derby wins for the first time in over 100 years.

Both sides are unbeaten on league duty so far but Hearts are way ahead with five wins and one draw, to Hibs' one win and five draws.

Last term, Hibs had the upper hand, winning twice and drawing the other derby on the way to third place. The visitors are unbeaten in four of these contests and have lost just once in the past eight meetings.

Derek McInnes is yet to lose over 90 minutes since taking over as Hearts head coach, with the only disappointment in 11 games being a League Cup penalty shootout loss to St Mirren.

This will be his first taste of the derby but he does a positive record against Hibs from his time at St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, winning 18 of his 39 games and losing 10.

McInnes has yet to get the better of David Gray though, after two draws and a defeat last season with Killie.

Hibs boss Gray went unbeaten in the derby in his debut campaign and did not meet Hearts or McInnes in his three short interim spells. As a player, he enjoyed three victories over his boyhood team and suffered two defeats, with just two of those 10 fixtures in the top flight.

Hearts tend to get the ball forward quicker and have outscored Hibs by 15 to 10 in the league.

The hosts just shade attempts on goal (94-89) and efforts on target (38-34), although Hibs were ahead on both counts before last weekend before they drew 0-0 at champions Celtic and Hearts scored three from 20 shots against Falkirk.

Hearts are significantly ahead on touches in the opposition box (200-159) and have had more success from set-pieces, scoring from corners four times and twice from free-kicks, which is double Hibs' output.

Those of a maroon persuasion have certainly had more to smile about this season and have by far the better overall record since these city rivals first met on Christmas Day 1875.

However, derby bragging rights are all about recency and home fans will be ecstatic if they go 11 points clear of their neighbours seven games in, while those in green and white will be partying like it's 1922 if they can equal that long ago three-in-a-row.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Hibernian's Celtic Park shutout provided the perfect response to critics.

With the defence having come under close scrutiny in recent weeks, a first clean sheet of the Premiership campaign was welcome.

The fact it came at defending champions Celtic provided a huge boost to the squad's belief as they now look to continue their unbeaten start and inflict a first league loss on fierce rivals Hearts.

Puncturing the Tynecastle team's early-season momentum would be the perfect way to head into the international break.

And Hibs' record over the past few years is exceptional in this fixture. Only one defeat in the last eight meetings, including a late winner at Tynecastle on Boxing Day last year.

It's way too early in the season to make predictions about where teams may end up, but a victory on Saturday would move Hibs to within five points of Hearts.

That would be huge for the Easter Road fans and make their weekend so much more enjoyable.

As Edinburgh rivals Hearts and Hibs prepare to meet on Saturday for the first time this season, watch the best of the action from the previous derby last term as Jack Iredale's stunning strike secures a 2-1 home win at Easter Road. (Available to UK users only)

Hibs defender Jack Iredale admits he did not comprehend the magnitude of the Edinburgh derby until playing in the fixture. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

Two draws in a row for Hibs but very different emotions attached to each.

Last midweek it was disappointment as we again squandered a two-goal lead to draw with Falkirk, with another concession on the cusp of half-time proving a pivotal moment.

Then came a hugely satisfying point at Parkhead as Hibs put in a defensive masterclass, led by Scotland Hall of Famer Grant Hanley.

David Gray stuck with Raphael Sallinger in goal and the Austrian keeper pulled out a couple of cracking saves to preserve a clean sheet.

The gaffer will be delighted to see such a positive display from his backline before the Edinburgh derby on Saturday.

It's a huge game for both sides, with each putting their unbeaten start to the season on the line.

Hibs will need to show more attacking intent than we did on Saturday, but we saw last season just how good Gray is at getting his team up for this fixture.

I can't wait – the first derby goes a long way to dictating how the rest of the season goes, so I'm hoping Hibs follow St Mirren's lead in bursting Hearts' early-season bubble.

You can find Matty Fairnie at Longbangers podcast, external

Image source, Jeff Holmes

A 0-0 draw away to champions Celtic suggests Hibernian have recovered from their early-season European exploits, says Kevin Thomson as his old club prepare for Saturday's derby visit to table-topping Hearts.

Both Edinburgh sides are unbeaten in the Premiership but Hearts have double the points of Hibs, who have drawn five successive league games.

Hibs earned plaudits for performances against Midtjylland, Partizan Belgrade and Legia Warsaw but domestic displays have been dogged by defensive lapses until a disciplined showing at Celtic Park.

"Obviously you want to be in Europe, but there's no doubt that outwith all fun when you're in Europe, it takes its toll," said 40-year-old Thomson, who had three stints as a player at Easter Road.

"I think that then has a hangover naturally, domestically. It's just the way it is.

"They never really laid a glove on Rangers (in a Premier Sports Cup loss), but they then go to Celtic and put in a resolute performance, albeit probably rode their luck.

"But it gives you something to build on and there's no better game to get into than against a high-flying Jambos team."

Grant Hanley was central to Hibs' rearguard action against Celtic and Thomson thinks the Scotland central defender will be a key man again at Tynecastle.

"Not the sexiest signing people would have said but, Scotland international, massive career," said the 40-year-old.

"I think when you go to Tynecastle, you're going to need people like Grant Hanley with his experience.

"His leadership qualities are there for everybody to see. He's not one that you're going to expect to dribble out the defence and play a killer pass, that's just not what he does.

"But when it comes to holding a line and putting his body on the line, heading balls, first contacts, he's terrific."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Questions have been asked about Hibs defensively this season but Grant Hanley was a model of assurance at Celtic Park as the Leith side kept a clean sheet to frustrate their hosts on the way to a valuable point.

He makes my team of the week.

Watch Sportscene analysis of Grant Hanley's performance for Hibs in the 0-0 draw away to Celtic.

Watch all the highlights from Celtic's goalless draw at home to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership.