TYNECASTLE on Edinburgh derby day is regarded as one of the more intimidating venues for an opposing player, writes Stewart Fisher, but for Efe Ambrose both it and the Old Firm are a walk in the park compared to the madcap scenes witnessed at Kaduna United versus Ranchers Bees in North Western Nigeria. That is where the Hibs defender spent his formative seasons as a pro, a fixture divisive enough that the build-up was usually spent dreaming up some spurious reason to miss it, and an aftermath could see opposition fans waiting for you at your house to talk about it afterwards. Scotland savours its derby matches but at least what you usually get is a sanitised version, with no shortage of security staff.
“Africa is much more crazy!” said Ambrose. “When I was playing back in Africa, there was a derby just like Hearts and Hibs, my team against the second team in the city. But you didn’t want to play in this game. You always found an excuse, like you were injured or sick, something else! You knew it wasn’t worth playing. Because you would get beaten, you would get harassed, you couldn’t even get into your house because the fans would be there waiting for you.
“I was scared, really scared, the first time I was supposed to play in the derby. I didn’t go to training for a week, just so I would miss the game! Sometimes they couldn’t even finish the games, they had to abandon play because of the fans fighting and everything. I heard a lot of stories from friends and team-mates about going home to find fans there mobbing them. Here, you can play the game and go home, knowing there won’t be some crazy fans waiting for you. Here, the worst you get is some abuse on Twitter. In Africa, they come to you direct!”
Having said all that, the close confines of this famous Gorgie stadium and a playing surface which will not have been improved by the recent cold snap could make Saturday’s fixture more attritional than ever. Opposite numbers Craig Levein and Neil Lennon traded a few barbed comments about the physicality of Hearts’ approach in the controversial goalless draw at this same venue in late December (Hibs’ Oli Shaw saw a ‘goal’ ruled out even though it was clearly over the line) but this is a Hibs team which can mix it far better than some other sides in recent memory.
Hibs haven’t lost to Hearts since August 2014, nine Edinburgh derbies ago, and are bidding to complete a remarkable hat-trick of Scottish Cup wins in back-to-back years against their capital rivals. Whether they do so with Anthony Stokes or not remains to be seen – Lennon refused to comment on his wayward striker yesterday other than to say he “might” be in the squad – Hearts can now call upon Steven Naismith. “I’m surprised he’s come back, he’s only 31, but maybe he just wants to play regular football at this stage of his career,” said Lennon, who has Brandon Barker available. “He’s a very good player but Hearts are in a position to do a deal like that and that is maybe because they are back in this division for their third season now. We are still building up and we can’t just throw everything at one player.” The other main protagonist, of course, is referee Kevin Clancy. How could he help this be a spectacle? “He could give a goal if it’s a goal,” said Lennon. “That would help for a start.”
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