Nothing between Hearts and Hibs: Battle on to be top dogs in the Capital

By STEPHEN HALLIDAY
Published on Saturday 5 January 2013 00:00

IT was understandable that Hibs should emerge from Thursday night’s frenzied Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle in a more upbeat frame of mind than their frustrated hosts.

Like anyone recovering from an especially traumatic event in their lives, the Easter Road club must draw comfort and regain confidence from even the smallest signs of improvement after their mortifying 5-1 Scottish Cup final defeat by Hearts at Hampden last May.

So by remaining unbeaten so far against their great rivals this season, with two draws in the SPL and at least a measure of Scottish Cup revenge in the shape of the 1-0 fourth-round elimination of the holders, Hibs are entitled 
to feel progress has been achieved in addressing the gulf which was previously evident between the teams.

Any suggestion, however, that the balance of power in the capital city’s footballing conflict has swung in favour of Pat Fenlon’s men would be seriously premature. For all that the 0-0 draw in Gorgie was a more satisfying result from Fenlon’s perspective than it was for John McGlynn’s team, it also extended one of Hibs’ worst-ever sequences of league derbies without a win.

They have now gone 12 SPL matches without tasting victory over Hearts, a run which stretches back almost four years. It is Hibs’ most barren spell in the fixture since the John Robertson-inspired Hearts vintage racked up 21 unbeaten Edinburgh derby league games between 1989 and 1994.

The reality of the current state of the rivalry is that there is precious little to choose between the sides, both of whom have won just two of their last seven SPL games this season. Although Hibs are fourth in the table, just two points off second place, their six-point advantage over ninth-placed Hearts is hardly insurmountable, especially with McGlynn’s men having played one match less.

The dismal quality of play delivered on Thursday night may have been influenced by the traditionally febrile atmosphere at a New Year derby, but it was also in part an indicator of the standard of two teams going through transitional spells for different reasons.

With Hearts engaged in a battle for survival as they address the financial consequences of living beyond their means for several years, it is inevitable the product on the pitch will suffer. Ryan McGowan, in China to finalise his £400,000 move to Shandong Luneng Taishan, may not be the only player sold during the current transfer window as the Hearts board try to make up the shortfall from the recent share issue.

The forced introduction of younger players into the first team will bring inconsistency, although it can also provide some hope and encouragement for the longer term. Already this season, teenagers such as Callum Paterson, Kevin McHattie, Jason Holt and Jamie Walker have shown varying degrees of promise, while the display at centre half of 21-year-old Dylan McGowan on Thursday in only his fourth starting appearance was highly impressive.

Hearts dominated possession, by 68 per cent to Hibs’ 32 per cent, and also enjoyed territorial advantage which earned them 13 corners to just one forced by the visitors. Those statistics lend considerable weight to Hearts manager McGlynn’s argument that his team deserved to take all three points. Yet it was also clear on Thursday that Hearts were just as deficient as Hibs in terms of creativity, composure and incisiveness.

Fenlon’s approach to the derby games this season has been conservative, unsurprisingly so as he seeks his own personal redemption for the horror of that Hampden humiliation eight months ago.

Leigh Griffiths was too often an isolated figure in attack on Thursday, lacking the support and ammunition which might have helped him pose more searching questions of a makeshift Hearts back four. Hibs’ best opportunity of the night fell to Eoin Doyle, who lacked the killer instinct required when he blazed his shot over. Although the Irish forward is enjoying a decent season, it was a reminder of how reliant Hibs have been on Griffiths’ finishing ability.

If chairman Rod Petrie is either unable or unwilling to finance the permanent signing of the Scotland striker from Wolves when his loan agreement expires this month, it will be a significant blow for Fenlon. Hibs’ other striking options are the 36-year-old Shefki Kuqi, yet to score or make any real impact since being signed at the start of the season, and promising but raw teenagers Danny Handling and Ross Caldwell.

The retention of Griffiths must be regarded as a priority for Hibs if Fenlon’s rebuilding work at the club, in the wake of Colin Calderwood’s damaging tenure, is not to be undermined. Having already collected 32 points this season – just one fewer than they managed in the whole of the previous wretched campaign – Hibs are undeniably making progress.

They are among the raft of clubs for whom second place in the SPL behind Celtic remains a realistic prospect and have a Scottish Cup last-16 tie at home to Aberdeen to look forward to next month. Fenlon, though, may find the second half of the season far more difficult if he emerges from the January transfer window without Griffiths or an adequate replacement for him.

For Hearts, events off the pitch may continue to dominate their agenda as the fiscal re-calibration of the club takes what promises to be a painful course. Their season, though, could still bring success on the field, with a League Cup semi-final against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on the horizon at the end of this month.

Despite their sketchy SPL form, they are only eight points off second place in the SPL and will believe they can still climb above Hibs in the table. Whether both teams finish in the same half of the SPL will determine whether their next scheduled meeting, at Easter Road on 9 March, is the penultimate or last Edinburgh derby of the season. Either way, the status of top dogs in the city is still very much up for grabs.

• Hibs have let 18-year-old midfielder Sam Stanton, who made his first-team debut for the Easter Road club 
12 months ago, join Cowdenbeath on loan until the end of the season. Defender Scott Smith, meanwhile, has signed for Dumbarton on loan until the end of the season, while goalkeeper Calum Antell has had his loan spell at East Fife extended until the end of the current campaign.

Taken from the Scotsman