BOBBY WILLIAMSON HAS ASKED HIBS FANS TO REMAIN CALM AHEAD OF SUNDAY afternoon's encounter with Hearts at Tynecastle after the the scenes which greeted viewers around the country the last time the sides met at Easter Road.  Garry O'Connor's 92nd minute goal sparked of frenzied scenes in the stands that afternoon, scenes that will remain with Hibs fans for a good while to come, but which could have sparked off trouble if they had gotten out of control or indeed if the Hearts support had reacted to them.

"I hope that both sets of supporters can restrain themselves and stay off the park, we are always in the spotlight in these games and we all have to watch our conduct."   Bobby is of course very aware of the passion that exists amongst the Hibs support for their team and is no stranger to local derbies, having managed a fair few himself after being involved in the Old Firm version himself whilst playing for Rangers.  "Everyone is very emotive at these games, the Hibs fans are very passionate and very knowledgeable about the game. They want to see us doing well and they want to win, and if we don't manage to achieve that then they will let us know." 

People often talk about the psychology involved in the build up to games like this but Williamson prefers to believe that it's down to having the right attitude as you go out onto the pitch.  "We have to compete, if we don't and let Hearts dictate the play then we will suffer. So first and foremost we need to be motivated for the game, they don't come much bigger so that will take care of itself. We have players who have the ability, and we hope that will show on Sunday, but these games can go either way."  Speaking to fans of both clubs over the last day or so, bravado aside, it's very much the same story I'm hearing, that things will be tight and if the game doesn't end in a score draw, the teams will only be separated by an odd goal.

With the form book pretty well going out the window in these sorts of games, motivation is the primary key to the end result.  With  the poor start to last season being accentuated by losing late minute goals, confidence, or rather a lack of it, seemed to be the single biggest cause of defeat as the poor run went on.  Keeping that confidence is something that the Hibs boss readily admits is down to him.  "Part of my job is to keep instilling confidence in players, because it is very easily and quickly lost. But even experienced players lose their confidence at times, and you have to keep reassuring them that they are good players and that is why they are pulling on that strip. Hopefully they will go out and express themselves on Sunday but nobody will dominate this match for 90 minutes. So long as the players do themselves justice, sometimes the breaks do go against you and you can't do much about that but I do believe that if you work hard and show the right commitment and application then the breaks will hopefully go your way."

One player who will be confident going into the game is striker Garry O'Connor.  His strike for the Under 21's on Tuesday night at Easter Road will have him fired right up for the occasion and hoping to be the breaker of Hearts once again.  However, Bobby likes to keep things close to his chest and has sprung the odd surprise with team selections in his time at Easter Road.  "Garry certainly did well for Scotland and I'll be delighted if he does better for us and scores more goals. Of course strikers do take a lot of confidence from scoring goals and if they hit the back of the net then they think they are going to score in every game, but if they go through periods when they can't get a goal for love nor money then it is hard to get out of that mode as well. But Garry scored in his last game so if selected then I hope he can score on Sunday again."  Saying that though, the Hibs boss did give his biggest hint at there being no change to the side that turned out against Dundee United a fortnight ago.

"Selection should be quite easy, if they are scoring goals they are playing, if not then someone else gets an opportunity because we have got players tapping at the door and wanting to be selected."  Of course, in the interim we've had newspaper articles regarding Tam McManus's position in the Hibs team and how he'd prefer a move within the current line-up.  Last week's International appearance though will have done little to influence Williamson, Tam being replaced after a pretty ineffective spell up front.  "Tam McManus feels he does his best work through the middle, at this moment in time Garry O'Connor, Derek Riordan and Scott Brown have been starting in games and if Tam wants to play there then he has to apply himself and ensure that he can score the goals he did last season."

Even though Tam has still being playing for the Under 21 International side, he is one of the most experienced 'Hibbies' in the current squad, a fact that Bobby is aware of but that won't make his place certain by any means.  "We don't have players with extensive experience as such, Tam has the most experience but I don't know just how many games he has played since he has been at Hibs but it is not a lot, not as many as he would have liked I suppose!  When we have so many talented kids as we do then it is up to me to use them as I see fit and that is what I am doing."

Some sections of the Hibs support, ahead of the last game, were doubting whether they'd ever see a Hibs win under Bobby Williamson.  The Hibs boss though had other thoughts, believing that it was only a matter of time before he was able to celebrate with the players and fans at the end of a derby.  "I knew it was coming, other people were questioning it but that is football. You win some and you lose some and you have to deal with both situations accordingly, people start talking about hoodoos and jinxes but that is just absolute nonsense."  Despite some talk at the time Bobby joined Hibs of him being a 'negative' manager, there's never been a negative thought in his mind as he's prepared the team for these games, as evidenced by the team selection at Easter Road the last time the sides met.  "You send out the players to produce results and sometimes it works for you, others it does not and if the breaks go against you then it is hard cheese! But I knew a Derby win would come, I felt in previous games we were hard done by, but we managed to get a result in the last game but that will have no bearing at all on this one."