Six of the best send Hibs close to seventh heaven

"WE want seven" was the chant thundering down from the Easter Road stands as jubilant Hibs fans celebrated a stunning derby demolition of arch rivals Hearts.

But to be frank it could have been anything - as Jim Jefferies, a player as Hearts were taken apart on New Year’s Day 27 years ago, honestly admitted, still shell-shocked at seeing today’s Tynecastle stars suffer a 6-2 hammering.

"Unbelievable," was how hat-trick hero Mixu Paatelainen, the first Hibs’ player to score three in a derby since Pat Quinn in the 4-1 win over Hearts in 1967, described the preceding 90 minutes.

And Jefferies wasn’t going to argue with the big Finn as he listed his side’s shortcomings in a match which leaves them trailing their Capital foes by a massive 13 points with only 12 matches of the season gone.

How the pendulum has swung since Alex McLeish took control of Hibs, derby days once dreaded by the Easter Road support now greeted with eager anticipation with just one defeat in seven matches.

Having suffered so much during the past decade at the hands of Hearts you can hardly grudge them the wild celebrations which greeted the final blast of referee Hugh Dallas’ whistle.

Any derby win is a great win but to score six was just, well, unbelievable, particularly as a slow start by Hibs was punished by a strike from Hearts striker Andy Kirk.

Even with the comfort of that lead, however, Jefferies admitted he wasn’t happy, as he watched Hibs get into their stride. McLeish insisted that despite that early set-back his was the better team as the half wore on, the game turning in the space of two minutes as Mixu Paatelainen, earlier denied a goal for a push on Steven Pressley, struck twice from close-range.

Those goals, McLeish believed, gave Hibs the platform for the second 45 minutes and so it proved, not so much solid foundations but the launch pad for blast-off as the Easter Road side moved on to a different planet from their near neighbours.

With Russell Latapy and John O’Neil again pulling the strings in midfield the Hearts mini-revival came to a spectacular end, David Zitelli linking with that pair to cleverly beat the offside trap to make it three goals in three starts.

Latapy, whose languid style belied his contribution to the game, sprayed another imaginative pass out wide for O’Neil to fire in a punishing cross which allowed Paatelainen to claim his hat-trick.

And O’Neil broke his own duck, lashing in No.5 before Latapy completed the rout, exchanging a brisk one-two with Paatelainen before crashing a shot beyond Anti Niemi.

Those goals reduced Colin Cameron’s late strike for Hearts to a mere statistic.

Only six then, but it could have been many, many more. Take Paatelainen’s disallowed ‘goal’, a brilliant fingertip save from Niemi denying his countryman, Latapy put through three times and failing to find the target, the Hearts goalkeeper beating aside an angled drive from Zitelli and another from Stuart Lovell - all of which could easily have beaten a lesser ’keeper.

Nevertheless, McLeish was keen to keep his players’ feet on the ground and anxious not to gloat at Hearts’ misery.

McLeish admitted that one or two of his players were out on their feet by the final whistle but he was loath to make any substitutions other than an enforced change when Mathias Jack limped off with a suspected broken toe before the interval, his place being taken by little Lyndon Andrews, another whose diminutive form belies his ability and strength.

He said: "I wanted the 11 who started the second-half to be there at the end to take the applause they deserved."

And McLeish agreed with those who witnessed a pulsating match that Hibs had played the sort of champagne football which was rewarded not only by the final result but by a tightening of their grip on second place in the SPL table - now seven points ahead of champions, Rangers.

He said: "That was as good as Hibs have played under me. We made a lot of chances, scored a few and one or two went begging."

But McLeish, as honest and frank as Jefferies had been about his team, admitted Hibs could well have gone two behind when a poor throw out from Nick Colgan put Gary Smith in trouble, the defender being robbed by Gordon Durie who saw the Irish keeper redeem himself with a fine save.

"Nick earned his corn with a good stop but these are things that can be turning points in games," said McLeish. "Even if we had come in 1-0 down at half-time I still felt we were the better team.

Six wins out of six at home, allied to just one defeat in 12 matches have turned many towards believing that Hibs can mount a serious challenge to the Old Firm this season.

But as in weeks past, McLeish refused to divert from his stance that Rangers and Celtic remain favourites for the title.

He may be trying to prevent the heady atmosphere which has engulfed Easter Road this season from spilling over, but as the weeks go by it is becoming harder and harder for him.

Big names with little money being spent in transfer fees has become McLeish’s trademark, the contribution to the cause made by the likes of Franck Sauzee and Latapy already well known while David Zitelli, John O’Neil and Ulrik Laursen have added an extra dimension - and don’t forget the likes of Gary Smith and Paul Fenwick, signings which might have been questioned when they were made but players who have quickly established themselves as every bit as important as the others.

Paatelainen is one of the few players who took to the field last night who actually cost Hibs money, the £75,000 McLeish paid to Wolves to secure his signature proving to be one of the greatest bargains ever.

It was the big Finn’s arrival two years ago which proved the catalyst for Hibs’ romp to the First Division title. His goals last season proved invaluable and already this season he’s found the net seven times, answering those who look at his age and powerful build and question his inclusion.

But McLeish, a former team-mate of the striker at Pittodrie, knows Paatelainen’s worth saying: "Mixu has been a great buy for the club.

"He puts himself about within the laws of the game, he’s a big player, robust, strong and it was great to see him get those three goals.

"He normally gets six or seven in a season and he is well on course for a much bigger tally this season. He’s a man playing at his peak. He knows his strengths and weaknesses."

Taken from the Scotsman