Hibs star has one eye on ‘special’ Hearts derby ahead of Aberdeen return

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Hibs forward Junior Hoilett can’t help but think about the tantalising Edinburgh derby on Boxing Day ahead of facing Aberdeen on Saturday.

The Hibees face a demanding festive Premiership fixture schedule with five games squeezed into 16 days, which includes trips to Pittodrie, Tynecastle and a meeting with Rangers.

Hoilett is preparing for the trip north to Aberdeen on Saturday, a team he represented at the end of last season having signed under Neil Warnock.

The Canadian actually made his Scottish football debut against Hibs and played 13 league games before turning down a new contract offer and leaving for Edinburgh.

Hoilett has huge respect for and fond memories of his time with the Dons – but he feels Hibs have the momentum to beat his old side before the ‘special’ Edinburgh derby just a few days later.

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Junior Hoilett previews Aberdeen & Hearts tests

The 34-year-old said: “Aberdeen will always be a special place for me. My time there was good. I had a short stint – but it was a very memorable short stint there.

“The fans were great for me, and it was a great first taste of Scottish football, showing me what it was all about. So it will forever be a memorable place.

“But I don’t have any inside track on them, unfortunately! I’ll do some research on them this week. What I do know is, everywhere you go in this league, you can gain an edge by keeping the home crowd quiet.

“You just have to remain professional and stick to the game plan. Stick to the manager’s tactics and game plan to go out and actually execute a result.

“Going back to Aberdeen, it’ll be a good game. They’re strong. They’re up there in the league for a reason.

“But we have the momentum right now to get the win, after beating Ross County. We know we can go out there and get a result.

“We want to get the win at Aberdeen, obviously. And then, of course, it’s the derby. I’m looking forward to that.

“I’ve played in a few derbies over the years. Cardiff versus Swansea, Blackburn against Burnley. And now the Edinburgh derby. They’re always special days.”

Hibs win vs Ross County was ‘major mental boost’

Reflecting on the Ross County victory, Hoilett admits the win was a big mental boost for Hibs heading into a hectic schedule of games.

He continued: “It was a major boost to win that game. It gives us momentum going into the next games.

“We’ve been playing well lately, and three points is a big boost mentally, give us confidence to go into the next run of games coming up.

“Even when Ross County where throwing bodies into the box late on, I had faith that we could hold on, of course. That’s what we’ve been working on in training ground.

“The boys stood strong and defended the corners and whatever they chucked at us in the later stages of the game.

“It was great to go on and get the third goal to settle the nerves. But yeah, we’ve been working hard in training. And we know we’ve we still got some more work to do to bring it into the next match.”