Robbie Neilson claimed Andy Halliday is at his best when he is being baited by opposition supporters after the Hearts midfielder silenced the Hibernian faithful in Saturday’s Edinburgh derby.
The 30-year-old is a regular target for taunts from the stands due to his links with Rangers, and Hibs fans take particular delight in reminding him that he was part of the Ibrox side that lost the 2016 Scottish Cup final against them.
Halliday was the subject of goading from the away end when he blazed a first-half effort over the bar at a time when the Hibees led 1-0. But he had the last laugh as he struck a double, either side of Stephen Kingsley’s goal, to earn Hearts a 3-1 home win.
“Andy plays his best when he is under pressure, getting stick from the opposition because he can handle it, thrives off it,” said manager Neilson.
“When we had the season with no fans (due to Covid-19), Andy didn’t like it because he needs that.”
Halliday has also been the subject of criticism from Hearts supporters at times, but Neilson values what he brings to the team and was delighted to see him have his day in the sun on Saturday.
“What he does is he takes the ball and tries things,” said the manager. “He’ll give it away like we all do but he’ll keep getting on the ball. I’m delighted for him.”
Halliday limped off in the second half but Neilson is confident he will be fit for next weekend’s rematch with Hibs in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.
“He is fine,” said Neilson. “He got a knock last week and it is on the same spot. He could probably have stayed on but we just felt at that stage it was better getting him off and start thinking about next week.”
The defeat saw Hibs miss out on a place in the top six, and Shaun Maloney – who replaced Jack Ross in December – admits he has a major job on his hands to get the team sorted out for next season.
In the meantime, however, the Easter Road side must find a way to rouse themselves for next weekend’s semi-final against their rampant city rivals.
“The players have an opportunity next week to put it right,” said Hibs boss Maloney. “We have to change things very quickly. What I saw (on Saturday) tells me – although I already knew – the reasons why we were seventh when I came in, and why we’ve now dropped back to seventh (after briefly climbing into the top six).
“We’ve got a lot of work to do between now and next week, and even more work for next season to make sure we don’t perform like we did in the second half.”
