Hibs in derby groove amid Hearts dismay as Zinedine Zidane impersonator has Sunshine on Leith on repeat

That’s what you call a good afternoon’s work. Is David Gray, who was fighting for his job when Hibs last hosted Hearts, on the way to establishing himself as a derby charm? One might have thought that scoring the goal to end a 114-year Scottish Cup hoodoo might be enough for anyone. He is now three games unbeaten against Hearts as permanent manager. “David, David Gray!” they sang at the end before a second emotionally rendered “Sunshine on Leith” on successive weekends.

No one can complain about hearing this Proclaimers track too often, not even when Coldplay cover it, but the way Hibs are going, some fatigue will surely soon set in.

The Easter Road DJ is instructed to play it only on special occasions and this victory came swiftly on the heels of last Saturday’s 2-1 success over Celtic. The next game is away at Celtic Park in the Scottish Cup. Maybe they can hum it to themselves in the centre circle if Hibs can extend this extraordinary run with a victory in the lair of the champions.

Nothing seems beyond them at the moment. While Gray can do little wrong it was Jack Iredale who emerged as the unlikely hero with an assist and then jaw-dropping winner. No centre-half has the right to finish the way he did with 17 minutes left after beating Lawrence Shankland to a headed clearance out of defence.

The Australian took a touch and with nearly every Hibs supporter in the stadium urging him to ‘just hit it!’ he did exactly that. He caught the ball flush and saw it rattle off the far post into the net. Craig Gordon didn’t have an earthly.

It was a deserved goal given Hibs’ second-half endeavours, which was galling for Hearts fans to observe considering their side probably shaded the first half without creating too many chances on top of an equaliser from Jorge Grant. Martin Boyle had put Hibs in front three minutes earlier. It will dismay the visitors that they failed to build on their success in managing to silence Easter Road so quickly.

“Welcome to Edinburgh’s biggest footballing arena,” trilled the Tannoy announcer as the oneupmanship started early in this eagerly-awaited fixture between two teams befitting the description ‘in form’. Usually one or the other are in crisis or sometimes even both – consult the last meeting here for reference, when both were in the bottom two. It was certainly novel to feel optimism abounding all over the ground.

Some early spring sunshine probably helped, as did a start where the sides traded quick, decisive blows. There seemed little prospect of this being one of those too familiar Edinburgh derbies that are a sight for sore eyes as gritty determination becomes the dominant feature. Two pleasingly attacking line-ups meant goals always seemed likely and two within the opening ten minutes had the neutral rubbing their hands in delight at what might lie in store.

Maybe that was premature. Hearts were first to threaten through a powerful long-range effort from Shankland that Jordan Smith was happy to beat out. Then, out of very little it seemed, Hibs were ahead.

It would be underrating Iredale’s part in the goal to classify a pass down the line that curled so invitingly into Boyle’s path as a long ball from the back. Heart right-back Gerald Taylor certainly smoothed the way for Boyle by getting on the wrong side of the forward, which is the last thing anyone wants to do against such pace. Boyle took full advantage before picking his spot in the far corner beyond Gordon and then celebrating by pretending to wipe tears from his eyes in front of the away fans.

Suck it up Jambos, he was effectively saying. And they did, for all of about 180 seconds. And then those in the away end had reason to bounce around deliriously. Hibs were still questioning an offside decision that had halted a promising attack in the direct aftermath of the opening goal. Indeed, Gray was bending the ear of fourth official Calum Scott while Rocky Bushiri made a mess of a dinked ball into the danger area from Shankland. The defender did not get nearly enough on it and Grant lapped up the opportunity by drilling an unstoppable shot past Smith. Grant raced off to celebrate next to one of those nicely branded new corner flags at Easter Road. It was 1-1 and game on and it seemed reasonable to expect a flurry of goals now the seal had been so swiftly broken.

The game instead petered out somewhat. Shankland nearly headed in after Bushiri got in another fankle and Elton Kabangu saw a crisply finished goal into the corner ruled off for an obvious offside. As for the hosts, a Nicky Cadden cross-cum-shot flashed past the far post while Kieron Bowie got too much on a through ball that would have released Boyle had it been hit more accurately.

The second 45 minutes saw Hibs assume command with their excursions down the left, where Taylor was being exposed, proving particularly profitable. It was from this flank where the winner was sourced thanks to more good work from Nicky Cadden.

Michael Steinwender flicked a header out to deny substitute Dwight Gayle. Shankland might have mopped up the danger had he been quicker in the race for the loose ball. The skipper, who was already on a booking for kicking the ball away, may well have reasoned that it was only Iredale. Wrong, it was Zinedine Zidane - or at least might as well have been.