Made to make your mouth water

VENTURING out for a quiet meal less than 48 hours before an Edinburgh derby may not have been Graham Rix's best advised plan.

True to expectations he was afforded very little time to digest his spaghetti bolognese on Thursday evening due to over-enthusiastic Jambos. As if Rix wasn't aware, his supporters were craving victory against Hibs almost as much as the Englishman desired five minutes' tranquility to finish his meal.

"I was only having a bite to eat and every single person came up to me. 'We've got to win, we've got to win', they were all saying. I told them I was well aware of that."

So, win they did, and with a considerable amount of panache into the bargain. Victories by four goals to one will always be acceptable in derby encounters, even if at one stage it seemed entirely possible for Hearts to have a tilt at overturning that famous 7-0 scoreline from the early 1970s.

That they didn't was partly down to Hibs' success in regrouping after Calum Elliot's fourth goal, as well as a bizarre receding in the home side's confidence as they appeared to lapse deeper into their own half, inviting Hibs into attack until Garry O'Connor drilled home his consolation goal.

Nevertheless, only the most frivolous of home supporters could have trudged, rather than bounced, out of Tynecastle on Saturday. There was early agitation in the air when visiting supporters turned their backs on a minute's applause for the late Wallace Mercer, whilst the arm-to-arm Hibs players also refused to put their hands together.

Any unsavoury taste was swiftly washed away, however. Hearts emerged with a noticeable inferiority complex initially, highlighted by early attacking forays from Garry O'Connor and Derek Riordan that necessitated the intervention of Craig Gordon on more than one occasion.

Throughout that opening 20-minute spell the only manager able to feel content was Tony Mowbray, with Rix perhaps wondering whether he had underestimated the intentions of his fellow diners on Thursday. The Hearts head coach named a defensive-looking line-up with Elliot as a lone striker, but all inhibitions were overcome once Paul Hartley opened the scoring

Hearts, sensing defensive wobbling amongst the Hibs ranks, began to overwhelm by throwing bodies forward from midfield in support of Elliot.

One panic-ridden back pass from Michael Stewart highlighted his team's uncertainty as his weak ball went straight to Elliot, who seemed certain to score when homing in on Simon Brown before dragging his shot wide of the goalkeeper's right-hand post.

The visiting support opted to instantly back Stewart, with their favoured chant of "Oh Mikey Mikey, you used to be Jambo but you're alright now". The retort of the home fans was intended in good humour. "Play for a big team, you used to play for a big team." Stewart remained impassive through all of this, and he was also rendered helpless when Hearts moved two ahead.

Hartley's free-kick from the left saw Hibs substitute and debutant Oumar Konde challenge Christophe Berra in the air just seconds after replacing the injured Scott Brown. The ball broke free, flying past Stewart to the left boot of Rudi Skacel, who returned it into the Hibs' rigging with some interest.

Two became three after another mix-up, this time Gary Caldwell and Steven Whittaker colliding whilst challenging Elliot, and Skacel latched on to the ball before being hauled down in the penalty area by the desperate-to-recover Gary Caldwell. Hartley shot the resultant penalty high beyond Brown before running through a torrent of missiles from the Roseburn Stand.

With bad already having become worse for Mowbray, further agony was guaranteed on the stroke of the interval when referee Mike McCurry caught the veteran Gary Smith out of the corner of an eye raise his left arm to Saulius Mikoliunas after the ball had gone. Smith was instantly dismissed for a clash which initially seemed quite innocuous, but Rix claimed afterwards that Mikoliunas' failure to re-appear after the break was due to the blow from Smith.

Skacel outmanoeuvred Whittaker five minutes into the second period to cross for Elliot to knock home Hearts' fourth, and at that stage supporters were sensing that any scoreline they wanted could be achieved if the players' desire met theirs. O'Connor drove a pinpoint drive low beyond Gordon eight minutes later, a goal that was missed by many Hibs supporters who had streamed towards the Tynecastle exits after Elliot's fourth.

Strangely, O'Connor's intervention seemed to cause the Hearts players to question themselves, resulting in the inexplicable sight of a retreat to the edge of Gordon's penalty box to defend their three-goal lead.

There was plenty time for a few unsavoury incidents before full-time, but referee McCurry deserved credit for allowing play to continue uninterrupted whenever possible. One hold-up after a late and high challenge by Hibs' best player, Kevin Thomson, on Takis Fyssas, resulted in a touch of handbags, although not so much at ten paces as around 90.

Mark Venus, the Hibs assistant manager, sarcastically applauded Fyssas for what he clearly perceived as exaggeration as the Greek defender received treatment further down the touchline. Fyssas' response was to point to his eyes and instruct Venus to watch the incident again.

The fourth official, Eddie Smith, was quick to reason with Venus, instructing him to "be sensible" in the midst of such a cauldron. The advice was taken, and as the end of the game arrived there was the now-customary stripping down of Skacel as he threw his Hearts shirt and shorts to his adoring public.

Skacel explained his gestures afterwards in blissful ignorance of how much his profligacy may be costing his club in replacement kit. "It was a show to supporters to say thankyou and celebrate with them. That's all. We have fantastic supporters.

"It was a derby and that is a different game to any other. It was important to get three points, and now it is important to win our next game. We worked hard, we made four goals and we deserved to win. Perfect. I know this is a big game in Edinburgh and a great day for the Scottish players. Derbies are like that everywhere. In Prague, Athens, France - everywhere."

Yet it is doubtful if Skacel had ever been bestowed with as much adulation before he arrived in Edinburgh, for the Capital's inhabitants harbour serious desire when it comes to football. Just ask Graham Rix.

Taken from the Scotsman