Hearts loan star Michael Ngoo excited at first derby and first final in space of 8 days

Gordon Waddell

THE Liverpool striker is looking forward to the Edinburgh derby today followed by the League Cup Final at Hampden.

MICHAEL NGOO faces the first derby and the first cup final of his career in the next eight days.

He’s warming up for both by revelling in YouTube reruns of Hearts’ humbling of Hibs at Hampden last May.

The Liverpool loan star has already had three sides of Easter Road singing his name after the semi-final goal against Inverness which helped the Jambos into next week’s League Cup Final showdown with St Mirren.

Now he wants it echoing in his head again this afternoon.

And with the potency of his newfound strike partnership with John Sutton perforating St Johnstone at will in the SPL in midweek, the 20-year-old is primed for the week of his life.

He said: “These are probably the two biggest games of our season and I’m excited because they’re big games for me and for my career.

“I’ve already got some good memories from Easter Road, even if it was difficult because it was my first game for the club.

“The lads have talked about the derbies but before I joined I was looking them up on YouTube and they just look epic.

“I thought ‘I’m going to enjoy playing in one of those’. I’d obviously seen Hearts play against Liverpool and I had a look at the draw against Hibs on Sky Sports too.

“But when I typed in Hearts on YouTube, the Cup Final last year came up. It looked fantastic. That was a joy to watch.”

Joy’s not a word you’ll hear many central defenders mention once they’ve been up against Ngoo.

Frazer Wright was hooked at half time in Saints’ 2-0 midweek defeat and his replacement Steven Anderson was rag-dolled more than once by the six-foot-five Londoner.

And with another battering ram in Sutton – who’s scored in their last two outings – alongside him, he warned: “We can be a handful for any central defence.

“The two from Tuesday night there would have walked off the pitch thinking, ‘Wow, we’ve been in a game’.

“I’m happy John’s alongside me, I can see a real partnership developing there.”

His main motivation for success in the week ahead will be another John, however. Axed boss McGlynn.

Ngoo said: “If we can beat Hibs and win the Cup I’d dedicate those wins to John.

“He believed in me. He actually rang me personally at Liverpool to ask me to come on loan and I appreciated that.

“If we can win these two games then that will be from me to John, and to the fans because they’ve been tremendous.

“Every player went away with a buzz from Tuesday and if we can carry that work ethic into Sunday and the final I don’t see why we can’t beat Hibs and St Mirren.”

The Anfield kid – who signed for the Reds from Southend after a brief trial with Man United – insists the transition between bosses has been tough for the players AND for stand-in gaffer Gary Locke.

He said: “Lockey has, and hasn’t, been the same, if you know what I mean.

“You have to adapt and step up to things and he has stepped into the senior, leader role. He’s doing that well, especially on behalf of John, representing him and the club.

“He’s helping us, he’s asking us what we like. The bond is getting there and that can only be good for the team.

“It’s been very tough psychologically for the boys but we’ve now built ourselves back up again.”

Taken from the Daily Record