IF he is called upon to take his place in the starting line-up at Easter Road tomorrow, Christophe Berra is determined to prove that he is there on merit.

A string of injuries to key players in recent weeks have forced Hearts to turn to the young defender at a crucial stage of the season but he has taken his chance with both hands and assured performances against Celtic at Parkhead, and against Kilmarnock last weekend, have proved Hearts coach Valdas Ivanauskas right to put his faith in the 21-year-old.

With Jose Goncalves, pictured below, likely to be ruled out for the rest of the season by a hamstring injury, Steven Pressley and Takis Fyssas both carrying knocks and Andy Webster relegated to a seat in the stand last Saturday, Berra knows he could be asked to step into the breach once again.

However, if that proves to be the case, Berra insists he will relish the challenge. He said: "It feels good to be involved with the first team, but hopefully I am there on merit and I've just got to try and take my chance.

"There are more experienced players at the club, I know that, but I just want to do my best when I get the chance to play and hopefully impress whoever is watching.

"There are a lot of quality players at the club. I've been sitting on the bench or in the stand recently but I've kept going and worked hard and waited for my chance.

"I'm hoping I will be involved again tomorrow but I won't find out until about one o'clock when we find out the team.

"I've not done myself any harm, though, I've not let anyone down and hopefully if I am picked to play tomorrow I can put in another good performance.

"If I'm not playing, I will obviously be disappointed but I will just have to take it on the chin and keep my head up. I think I have made quite a bit of progress and now I just want to be able to play at the highest level that I can."

Berra lives in the Meadowbank area of the city - just a stone's throw away from Easter Road - but he's determined to help Hearts end their rivals' hopes of a UEFA Cup place this season.

A win would also keep Hearts firmly in the driving seat for second spot in the league but Tony Mowbray's men will be fired up for the match.

He added: "When it comes to a derby match everyone is up for it. They are always difficult, especially as this one is at Easter Road.

"We just have to hope that, come quarter to five on Saturday night, we are the ones celebrating in the changing room.

"We've just got to concentrate on our game and if we get the win we know that we will be eight points clear.

"Rangers are at Parkhead so it will be difficult for them, too, but like I said, you can never tell what will happen in a derby game.

"Hibs have had a really good season. They've maybe had a bit of a dip in the last couple of weeks but they played really well against Celtic and they will really be up for this one because they will want to avenge the Cup semi-final defeat.

"Hopefully it will be a really good game and hopefully we will come home with the win."

The young defender is not the superstitious type and doesn't have any pre-match routine to go through before kick-off, instead he takes a few moments of quiet contemplation before everything around him erupts into chaos and a cacophony of noise.

But he revealed that some of the more experienced players at the club use old-fashioned tactics to make sure that he stays on top of his game.

He added: "I'm not the loud kind of guy who gets wound up or shouts in the dressing-room before a game.

"I just like to sit in the corner and focus on my game, concentrate on what I have to do during the game, what my job will be.

"Obviously there are a few more nerves when it is a derby game but they disappear as soon as you go out onto the pitch.

"People like Elvis, Webby, Takis and Paul [Hartley] are all very experienced players and they all really help you come through a game, they might sometimes give you a kick up the backside but that's a good thing because you need to concentrate 100 per cent. Maybe sometimes they do it when they don't need to - but it keeps you alert and helps you come though the 90 minutes, especially when you are a defender because concentration is a big part of your game."

Berra admits that the addition of Goncalves to the Hearts squad has also helped improve his game.

Although the Portuguese defender is eight months younger than Berra he has valuable Champions League experience under his belt already, having played there with Swiss side FC Thun earlier this season and Berra continued: "Jose is still just a young boy like me but he has played at the highest level.

"He gained a lot of experience there and he has done well since he arrived at the club, it's just a shame that he has picked up the hamstring injury because I think he will be a real asset."

Berra scored his first-ever goal for the club last weekend when he rose above the Kilmarnock defence late in the game to head into the net and seal a 2-0 win.

Putting his delight at breaking his duck behind him, Berra admitted that his performances in the last two games have been the most pleasing aspect: "To score was fantastic, it was my first for the first-team so it was one to remember and it was a good time to score because at 1-0 there's always the chance that Kilmarnock could have come back into it.

"My mum and dad were there and that made it really special. They are at most of the games and have really supported me. They were really proud of me when I scored and I think my goal even brought a wee tear to my mum's eye.

"I've been involved a bit more this season than I thought I might get the chance to and I've come on more in terms of experience and confidence because of that.

"Now I just want to keep progressing and getting better as the season goes on and try to improve my game.

"The team has had a great season so far but we know it can get even better. We've already guaranteed UEFA Cup football but we want to go to the highest level. We've still got that carrot dangling in front of us and hopefully that can spur us on.

"From finishing fifth in the league last season to possibly finishing second this season, I think that is a great achievement within just nine months."

Taken from the Scotsman