BILLY BUNTER

Weblog: The football punter

More derby heartache is on the cards for Hibs

THEY do New Year's Eve a bit differently in Scotland, even giving it a different name for a start, and you can see its impact on the fixture list north of the border.

There were no New Year's Day outings for the Scots and it's Thursday before the Edinburgh derby between Hearts and Hibernian takes place.

Presumably the SPL quite reasonably felt that 72 hours was the minimum requirement for anyone in Edinburgh to shake off their Hogmanay hangover.

I tried to get into the Hogmanay spirit once with a Scottish mate. El vino did flow, not to mention the Glenfiddich, and I thought I'd nailed it perfectly when my evening ended cradling the toilet bowl in a bathroom ridden with vomit. But even then I was still just a southern softie apparently.

Anyway, new year new start and all that - and I've lasted this long until 2013 without cradling another toilet bowl - and one of the things Hibs will be keen to put right is their record at Tynecastle.

Hibs have lost their last four trips to Hearts and have scored just twice on their last four visits. Throw in their 5-1 mauling in last season's Scottish Cup final and it's easy to understand the sort of inferiority complex I might get standing next to Johnny Depp. Or Johnny Rotten for that matter.

Hibs should at least take confidence from their 1-0 win over Celtic and they are six points ahead in the table, but Hearts have been getting back on track, particularly at Tynecastle where they have won three out of four, and they can ensure the Hogmanay celebrations keep on going for their backers.