Neil Critchley calls on Hearts to be ready for Edinburgh derby battle with Hibs

Neil Critchley has told his players they must be ready for an Edinburgh derby that “means more” than any other Premiership fixture to Hearts’ supporters.

The Jambos visit Easter Road on Sunday for their third meeting with Hibernian this season and their manager was in no mood to downplay the magnitude of the match.

Asked if he viewed it as just another opportunity to pick up three points, Critchley said: “No, it’s more than that. We don’t hide behind that. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s just another game and it’s just three points. It means more. It does. It’s a derby game.

“We know what it means. We’ve got enough experience within the dressing room. Enough people have played in this fixture before. It does mean more. We need to be ready. We need to be ready for an intense game.”

Hearts moved into the top six on Wednesday for the first time this season on the back of a run of one defeat in 11 matches, while the Hibees are fourth and unbeaten in 14. Both sides are aiming to make it three wins in a row and bolster their hopes of European qualification.

“We’re very excited,” said Critchley, whose team have beaten St Johnstone and St Mirren over the past week. “We’ve had a good week so far, six points from six. We want to try and make a good week, a great week if we can.”

Hearts – aided by some shrewd January recruitment – have found their stride since losing 2-1 at home to Hibs on Boxing Day.

“I think we have shown improvement,” said Critchley, who took charge in October when Hearts were bottom of the table. “We had some good performances prior to that (Boxing Day) as well, it was just probably a little bit of inconsistency.

“And maybe having a little bit more time between the games has just helped us to reinforce some of the things that we want to see from the players, our principles. Your identity takes time.

“You need consistency in your work for the things that you want to become habits. To become habits, you’ve got to keep working at them, and we’ve probably had that time and we’ve been better at both ends of the pitch.

“I think January helped with some of the players that we brought in. And there’s a new energy and enthusiasm from the players. I think we’ve seen the benefits of that.”