Jambo Obua says 'I will stand firm against Gers'

A crowd of more than 100,000 were thought to have packed Kinshasa's Stade de Martyrs for that match despite the fact it has an official capacity of 80,000. It made for a hairy occasion for the Ugandans – they lost 4-0 – but it was one which ensures fear will be no issue for Obua as he journeys along the M8 to help Hearts notch their first win in Glasgow's west end for almost five years.

"I've played in big stadiums before so going to Ibrox is not going to be anything new for me," said Obua, whose only experience of an Old Firm ground came during the last half-hour of Hearts' 1-1 draw at Celtic Park in December. "In Kinshasa, I played for the national team against DRC and there were over 100,000 people there. It was amazing, but it was so intimidating.

"We were down in the dressing room before the game and I remember hearing these thumps coming down on the roof like thunder. It was like the stadium was going to drop. When we were out on the pitch they were booing us relentlessly. I have also played in some big stadiums in South Africa. In that respect, going to Ibrox will hold no fears for me. I'll go there and have fun."

Obua's intention to enjoy himself at Ibrox will be aided if Hearts can attain a similar level of performance to that which they managed when beating Rangers 2-1 at Tynecastle in the last meeting between the teams. The African was introduced as a late substitute on that heady November afternoon, but he is aware that, regardless of Rangers' evident fallibility – their last home league game saw them lose to lowly Inverness – Hearts remain underdogs for tomorrow's contest.

"We have to respect them and fight so, so hard if we are to take anything," said the 24-year-old. "They are a big team and they have players who can punish you with one pass – one mistake can be all it takes against a top side. We're not going to go there and say 'we beat Rangers last time, so we'll beat them again'. We must fight for it."

The pursuit of European football is proving arduous to say the least for Hearts' small squad – they will be depleted further by the absence of talisman Andrew Driver through injury tomorrow. But Obua is hopeful that the prospect of playing at one of the country's most impressive venues will provide the Edinburgh side with a timely spur as they aim to protect what is currently a five-point advantage over Aberdeen and Dundee United in this eminently engrossing scrap to secure third place.

"I look forward to every game, but these games, against Rangers and Celtic, are dubbed 'the big games', so they're the ones that you always want to play in. They are special for players. It's going to be my first game at Ibrox and I'm really looking forward to it. You have to go out there and showcase your talent because there will be a lot of people watching. Rangers are a big club with a big reputation and we will have to go out and fight hard to beat them. It would be tremendous if we could go there and take a point or even win the game."

On a personal level, Obua's renaissance continues to gather pace after what was a wretched start to life in Edinburgh. At one point, his languid style and apparent disinterest in times of need saw him ridiculed by most of the Hearts support and written off as a dud. His low point came when he was roundly jeered off the pitch by the travelling support after being substituted during the 1-0 defeat at Motherwell in early January.

But since then, Obua has shown no shortage of resolve in attempting to win over his doubters. For some, the jury is still out but, having been one of Hearts' more consistent performers over the past two months, most onlookers have acknowledged that the former Kaizer Chiefs man is, after all, a highly-competent player.

The player himself is buzzing after overcoming his early-season turmoil, but he is all too aware that there is no room for complacency if he is to keep the Gorgie faithful onside. "Things are going well for me just now," he continued. "My form is improving and the fans are starting to accept me which means a lot. It's beautiful in Edinburgh, my team-mates have helped me settle and I'm really happy here. At the beginning, a lot of people did not understand why I was struggling to play.

"I had no pre-season, I was injured twice in a short space of time, and when I came back all my team-mates were ten times ahead of me in terms of fitness. It was so difficult and I had to fight to gradually build my fitness. God helped me and Andy Murray (a former trainer at the club) helped me. Andy helped me a lot in the gym and without him my body wouldn't be in this shape.

"It's also taken me time to get used to the physical side of the game in Scotland. The pace of the game was not an issue because in South Africa the game is much faster than it is here. I have had to adjust the physical part of my game, but I feel I am getting that right slowly. For me it's about gradually building my fitness and getting better with each game."

Taken from the Scotsman