Reedijk Aims for First Hibs Win in Edinburgh Derby Cup Semi-Final

Marink Reedijk is anticipating a significant occasion as he targets his first win as Hibernian manager against city rivals Hearts in Sunday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

Following three defeats and a draw in his initial four matches since taking over from David Gray in September, Reedijk faces his first Edinburgh derby with the objective of breaking his winless streak.

Hearts, currently third in the Premiership, have a strong record in derby matches at Hampden, having won all four previous encounters, including the 2012 Scottish Cup final. Reedijk has been briefed on the importance of this fixture during his five weeks in Edinburgh.

“It’s a special match in several ways,” Reedijk stated, confirming the return of experienced striker Martin Boyle after illness. “This is the type of match you look forward to because it’s not only the derby, it’s also a semi-final, and it’s one step away from a final, so that is a double way of excitement.

“You don’t need to ask anyone here about the derby because they will tell you, and this is also the beautiful thing about it. And we have someone in our staff (former Hibs player Guillaume Beuzelin) who experienced a few, and therefore, of course, he told us about it and he prepared us for what we can expect.”

After leading Beveren to an unbeaten title in the Belgian second tier last season, Reedijk has faced a challenging start to his tenure at Hibernian.

“It is interesting because everybody recognises last year with Beveren, but in the beginning at Beveren, we had the same sort of spells,” he commented. “The only thing which is different is that I had a start where we had a pre-season, and you could already put some things in place (in friendlies), and here I started immediately with competitive matches.

“But I have been in these situations as well with Beveren, and we focused on the things we did, and trusted the way we did it, and focused on not only the results. I know the results are important, but if the result is not there, is the performance there? And if the performance is there, then it’s a matter of time. The performances are getting better and better and better, and therefore, like in Beveren, I think if you keep on progressing, the results will come.”

Reedijk will face former Beveren player Beau Reus, now a goalkeeper for Hearts, in the semi-final.

“It’s a special connection,” Reedijk said. “We will always be linked – not only him and me, but the whole team. Together for the rest of our lives, because of the performance of last year. However, since Wednesday evening, I don’t feel this at the moment. It will be after Sunday night that this feeling comes back again, because I want to win the match. He is someone who will always be part of my journey.”