Dwight Gayle demonstrated the worst type of holiday guest by arriving late and stealing the show. This Edinburgh derby, while lively, lacked quality, which the experienced striker gave with 12 minutes remaining.
Hearts and Hibs had previously exchanged presents in the form of own goals from Kye Rowles and Rocky Bushiri. The Hibernian defender was widely derided for his misfortune. The home crowd shouted his name to the rafters.
Bushiri was to have the last laugh after Gayle was introduced as a substitution for Elie Youan. The striker, who recently announced his retirement at the conclusion of the season, scored a No. 9 goal, something he has excelled at throughout his career.
Gayle confirmed his retirement at a news conference last week, noting that his “body was breaking down”. Hearts were coming apart yet again. Hibs fans enjoyed chorusing the modified words to the Joy Division song, despite the fact that they were overly familiar, as are many songs heard at this time of year.
When Hearts appear to be coming together, obstacles like these seem to occur. It could have been much worse without Craig Gordon, who played his final match at Tynecastle before turning 42 on New Year’s Eve. The custodian saved well from Youan in the first half and made numerous other good saves.
It’s easy to picture what would have been at the top of little Eva Shankland’s wish list to Santa. For Daddy Lawrence to get a break. Bushiri unintentionally redirected the striker’s header into the net in the last stages of the first half.
Shankland embraced Eva, one of the mascots, in his arms prior to kickoff. He then gave her a romantic kiss before handing her over to a Hearts official and heading to work. It was a memorable scene in an afternoon of raw, nasty rivalry. The season of goodwill was formally ended at roughly 12.55pm when Rowles fired a cross-field pass right out of play, prompting loud jeers from the home crowd. It was already looking like a long afternoon for the angry home fans.
Shankland maintained a demeanour of dissatisfaction throughout. He was observed chastising his teammates multiple times, and he even kicked the ball high into the Gorgie Stand in the first half after allowing it to run out from a throw in. James Wilson, his adolescent strike partner, battled to avoid Warren O’Hora, Jack Iredale, and Bushiri.
The final member of this defensive trio was the first to bury himself among the celebrating away fans at the finish. Youan, meanwhile, dashed to the corner flag before cavorting around the goalmouth with his Hibs top draped over the pole, a move he debuted at Pittodrie following the win over Aberdeen last Saturday. It wasn’t quite Graeme Souness putting a Galatasaray flag in the middle circle of Fenerbahce’s stadium, but it had the same level of excitement. The Hibs fans, who had been told to stay behind until the rest of the stadium had cleared, soaked it all in. Hearts fans who were still leaving the stadium were less enthusiastic. They asked the stewards to remove the players from the pitch – or at least retrieve the corner flag from enemy hands.
Discontent began to grow in the three home stands immediately after kickoff. Hibs established their power very quickly. They appeared to be more motivated than their opponents. Perhaps it was the matchday programme, which was themed around the 2012 Scottish Cup final. Of course, it was. Pages and pages of text and images dedicated to Hearts 5 Hibs 1.
Hibs won after 10 minutes, but the celebrations took some time to fully savour. Craig Halkett and Rowles redirected Nicky Cadden’s corner into the net while Josh Campbell placed pressure on the two. Another Hibs player’s involvement became problematic. Bushiri was in front of Gordon and offside when the corner was taken, but he moved away before the ball went in.
The Hibs fans received two explosions for the price of one: the first when the ball first hit the net, and the second when referee Nick Walsh confirmed he was overturning the initial offside call after reviewing it again.The Hibs fans enjoyed both this Boxing Day bargain and the one in the form of free agent Gayle, who showed superb movement to glide towards the front edge of the six-yard box, reach Nicky Cadden’s cross, and flick in the well-deserved winner.
