FORMER Hearts coach Stephen Frail has been fortunate enough to have experienced the Edinburgh derby as a player – but it is his one game against Hibs as a manager in his own right that sticks in his memory the most.
Frail was appointed caretaker manager of the Tynecastle club in January of this year as Vladimir Romanov continued his search for a permanent boss and, within just a couple of weeks, faced a home game against their bitter rivals.
The Jambos had s
uffered a dip in form which had seen them slip to tenth place in the league in the weeks before Frail's installment but the players reacted well to him being handed the reins and Andrius Velicka earned them all three points at Tynecastle.
However, the game which supporters regularly ask him about took place six months previously when the Jambos travelled across the city just days after Hibs had lifted the CIS Cup in 2007.
Marius Zaliukas pricked the party bubble that day when he scored with just nine minutes remaining to snatch all three points and set up a Hearts celebration, which dented Hibs plans of parading the cup.
It is a game which saw Frail celebrate on the pitch at the final whistle with the rest of the players. He said: "One of the games that sticks in most people's minds is the 1-0 victory Hearts had at Easter Road the week after Hibs had won the CIS Cup.
"They were planning on parading the cup straight after the game and had been celebrating for most of the week. But in the last few minutes Marius Zaliukas scored and we won the game so it put a bit of a damper on the atmosphere for them.
"While that was a great occasion for me, the highlight has got to be the 1-0 win at Tynecastle earlier this year which was my only Edinburgh derby while in charge of Hearts.
"I'd only been caretaker manager for a couple of weeks before it and the team maybe hadn't been doing that well. We'd lost to Dundee United a few weeks beforehand and drawn with Motherwell and Kilmarnock.
"And Mixu Paatelainen had just come in to Easter Road so they were on a bit of a high, but Andrius Velicka gave us the three points and it was a great boost for everyone involved with the club.
"So, while the Zaliukas game is probably a close second, the 1-0 game at Tynecastle is the most memorable for me because I was in charge that day."
Frail will be an interested spectator this weekend when the two sides meet for the first time this season at Easter Road.
And he believes that the only thing you can predict from derby day, whether it be on the east or the west coast of the country, is that the form book can be thrown out of the window.
Frail continued: "They're great games to be involved in, there's always a lot of passion and determination from the players and the fans.
"I've been lucky enough to have been involved in a few of them as a player and a coach and you really never know what is going to happen.
"I've managed to see a few of the games that Hearts have played this season through working at the games and they've had some good results.
"They've maybe struggled a bit in recent weeks though with the defeats to Falkirk, Dundee United and Kilmarnock so they will want to turn that around."
Since his departure from Tynecastle in the summer, Frail has been working with the BBC for the past few months, covering SPL and cup matches for both the radio and television arms of the corporation. And he has also begun to work towards gaining his UEFA Pro Licence, the first few days of intensive training taking place last weekend.
He added: "It's good to keep my hand in and I'm looking forward to getting more involved with earning my Pro Licence.
"We started it at the weekend at Hampden and I think it is going to be pretty intense, I think it will take about 18 months to complete, although that will be spread over a few weekends or week-long sessions.
"Sam Allardyce was one of the speakers this weekend and some of the stuff that these guys are able to tell you is invaluable. We also met George Burley and he was absolutely fantastic with us, considering what a big weekend it was for him.
"He took the time out to speak to us, have a chat and answer questions and we really couldn't have asked for any more from him."
