Martin Boyle is Hearts Ghost of Christmas Past but Hibs star makes confession over last Tynecastle win

Martin Boyle delivered a knockout the last time Hibs travelled to face Hearts on Boxing Day.

His first half double at Tynecastle five years ago left the Jambos on the canvas, bottom of the table, and ultimately heading to a bruising relegation. That was the last time Hibs won in Gorgie. But a similar outcome this afternoon would send Hearts back onto the ropes - and potentially bottom of the pile again.

Boyle doesn’t remember much about that 2019 Boxing Day bout in enemy territory - other than preparing for it in an Edinburgh hotel on Christmas night. They did the same last night as their festive celebrations were cut short. One thing Boyle knows too well for his own liking though - defeat in this fixture hurts. And hurts for a long time. The winger, who returned to form with a goal and an assist in a man of the match performance in the weekend win at Aberdeen, said: “Five years? Is it that long? That’s made me feel old a wee bit! But yeah, fond memories, very enjoyable.

“I actually don’t remember much about it, really. We were in the hotel on Christmas night; we are again this year, we’ll be fully focused.

“Everyone's willing to do that to prepare for the game. So yeah, it’s a special occasion with a good atmosphere.

“It can be very hostile, so a few boys will realise that when they go into the game. If you can't get excited for it, then there's no point. It's an unbelievable atmosphere: the whole city coming together, fans, it's just a special occasion.

“If you're on the winning side of it, then happy days. But if you're on the losing side, it can hurt you for a while. We’ve got good momentum and we want to go into the game and win it.”

It might be the season of goodwill but Boyle is bracing himself for a ton of