DEAN SHIELS admits he's done almost everything there is to do in an Edinburgh derby.
But the midfielder knows that the best thing he and his team-mates can do against Hearts this weekend is simply to stay calm.
Shiels himself has been involved in controversy in derbies gone by, from scoring goals to being sent off – most infamou
sly in 2006 when he was red-carded for a shove on then-Hearts keeper Craig Gordon.
But the Irishman reckons that his side have more chance of winning against their old rivals at Easter Road tomorrow if they can just keep their heads while all around them are losing theirs.
He said: "I've had plenty of ups and downs in this fixture – but they all seem to happen at Tynecastle. I'm looking forward to this one, particularly as it's at Easter Road and we will be playing in front of our own supporters.
"You need to be ready for the challenge of this game but you also need to be focused on the task in hand.
"It's no good running around like a madman.
"You need to focus on how you are going to break down the opposition and how you are going to hurt the opposition.
"That's how you win a game. You need to stay calm but obviously it is difficult in a derby because emotions are running high and tempers are running high.
"The team that produces the most quality and stays the most composed will win the game."
Shiels is just back from international duty with Northern Ireland after the World Cup matches against Slovenia and San Marino in the last week but made sure that he flew back into the country in time for training on Thursday because he's so keen to be involved tomorrow and he added: "I came back on the 7am flight on Thursday because I didn't want to miss anything or any of the preparation for this game.
"When you've got a game like this coming up, I think a lot of the lads who were away on international duty wanted to get back quickly to make sure they were as prepared as possible."
The full article contains 369 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
