Robbie Neilson recalls unforgettable Hearts show of support ahead of Hibs Scottish Cup semi

Robbie Neilson knew it was going to be big.

But it wasn’t until he saw a sea of maroon shirts flooding the streets a MILE from Hampden that he realised the Scottish Cup semi final Edinburgh derby was massive.

That drive into the national stadium 90 minutes before kick-off in 2006 will live forever in Neilson’s memory.

As will the wall of noise from Jambos filling the stadium just as the warm-up was beginning.

Back then he was a roving right-back at the peak of his powers and about to play his part in a 4-0 Hampden hammering of the Hibees.

Valdas Ivanauskas’ side would go on to squeeze past Gretna on penalty kicks on the final and hand Neilson his first and only major silverware as a player.

But it’s the Paul Hartley hat-trick inspired semi final against their bitter rivals that lives in most Jambos’ memories from that campaign.

Now Neilson’s returning to the same venue for the same fixture 16 years later as manager.

He did so in 2020 - guiding Hearts to a 2-1 win in extra time - but that was played out in front of an empty national stadium.

This time he’s told his players to be ready for something the majority of them have never experienced before.

Turning his mind back to the 2006 semi, Neilson said: “The biggest thing I found was the drive in. Generally, when you go to games an hour and a half before kick-off there’s nobody there.

“But in the build-up to the semi-final and the final, the streets were absolutely rammed.

“I think it makes you realise the size of the game. A lot of the time as a player you’ll just focus on yourself: ‘there’s a game Saturday, make sure I’m ready’.

“But when you turn up at Hampden and you’re a mile away and there’s already fans starting to ram the streets, you realise the importance