Robbie Neilson knew it was going to be big.
But it wasn’t until he saw a sea of maroon shirts flooding the streets a MILE from Hampden that he realised the Scottish Cup semi final Edinburgh derby was massive.
That drive into the national stadium 90 minutes before kick-off in 2006 will live forever in Neilson’s memory.
As will the wall of noise from Jambos filling the stadium just as the warm-up was beginning.
Back then he was a roving right-back at the peak of his powers and about to play his part in a 4-0 Hampden hammering of the Hibees.
Valdas Ivanauskas’ side would go on to squeeze past Gretna on penalty kicks on the final and hand Neilson his first and only major silverware as a player.
But it’s the Paul Hartley hat-trick inspired semi final against their bitter rivals that lives in most Jambos’ memories from that campaign.
Now Neilson’s returning to the same venue for the same fixture 16 years later as manager.
He did so in 2020 - guiding Hearts to a 2-1 win in extra time - but that was played out in front of an empty national stadium.
This time he’s told his players to be ready for something the majority of them have never experienced before.
Turning his mind back to the 2006 semi, Neilson said: “The biggest thing I found was the drive in. Generally, when you go to games an hour and a half before kick-off there’s nobody there.
“But in the build-up to the semi-final and the final, the streets were absolutely rammed.
“I think it makes you realise the size of the game. A lot of the time as a player you’ll just focus on yourself: ‘there’s a game Saturday, make sure I’m ready’.
“But when you turn up at Hampden and you’re a mile away and there’s already fans starting to ram the streets, you realise the importance of it.
“For us, we’ve spoken to the players about that, about realising that is what it’s going to be like. You need to be ready for it, so it’s not a shock. We’ve spoken about making sure they’re going to be prepared for what it’s going to be like in the warm-up and in the tunnel prior to kick-off.”
Hearts have never lost at the national stadium to their city rivals and Neilson is determined to keep it that way tomorrow afternoon.
A mammoth 19-point gap separates the two in the Premiership with the Tynecastle side clinching third place and Europe with five games to spare.
Victory on Saturday would guarantee a Europa League play-off spot and the fall-back of a Conference League group stage place.
That’s when the big bucks start to drop and budgets swell - and Neilson admits it would help the Jambos not just cement their third place billing but also pull away from the challengers.
He said: “It is a big part of it. It allows you to reinvest and hopefully give you a chance to do it again and again and again.
“I suppose it’s similar to Rangers and Celtic, and the teams down south who make Europe. They can start to pull away from everyone else.
“So, if we can get there it would be a big step. But we’ve got to get there first.”
That means beating Hibs for the second time in a week after Hearts fought back from a goal down to swat aside their rivals in the dress rehearsal in Gorgie.
He said: “The most important thing that I keep saying to the players is that it’s a derby. You need to win it first and foremost.
“The second part is that it is a semi-final which is a chance to get to a final. We need to make sure the players know that it’s going to be a tough game. It’s going to be a different game.
“I would expect Hibs to make a couple of changes. Porteous will come back in, maybe Stevenson and maybe Doidge if he’s available, so then it becomes a totally different team, so we have to be wary of that.
“It’s a neutral venue. It’s a different surface. In the Scottish Cup you’re playing with a different ball, so everything is a wee bit different.
“But ultimately you go out there and it’s 11 v 11 and like any derby you need to win your first headers and tackles and you need to be positive. If we can do that then hopefully we can get a result.
“I think Hampden will suit both teams. On Saturday, Hibs’ best chances came from counter attacks in transition. They’ve got pace in certain areas where they can go and break, so we need to be wary of that.
“But we have also got players that enjoy the bigger pitch, so hopefully it’s a decent day and the pitch is slick so we can zip it about.”
One of those Jambos stars who should relish the big pitch is Barrie McKay who’s hit top gear since returning north of the border last summer.
Neilson said: “He’s a top player, a top player. Our job in the summer is to get more players like him, because he can light up a game. In a moment he can change it for you.
“I think Hampden will suit him and our job is to try to get him on the ball.”
