Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Gordon Parks

Lee Johnson gets Hibs bucket list moment as win over Hearts leaves him with 'lump in the throat'

It's been on Lee Johnson's bucket list from the moment he arrived at Easter Road and he admits a live rendition of Sunshine on Leith was music to his ears.

To be fair, there's not been much to sing about in Leith recently but the Hibs boss admitted earlier in the campaign he couldn't wait to hear The Proclaimers classic for himself and after a derby win over Hearts he finally got his wish. A first victory over their city rivals at the tenth attempt, thanks to Kevin Nisbet's winner, triggered the sound system to click into gear and Johnson in was a sign of the mood music lifting at his club.

He said: “I had a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye listening to Sunshine on Leith at the end. You work hard, the boys work hard and you just want to give back. When that song comes out it means everyone is happy. We have let the fans down a couple of times this year, probably a few too many times.

“Just when that bond starts to get created between the players, staff and fanbase we have fallen a bit short. We are building this so that’s a big win for us to build the connection and trust with the fanbase.

“You see how powerful it is when everyone is unified."

Not since March 2018 have the home fans managed to celebrate a home derby success and Johnson reserved a special mention for former chairman Ron Gordon who passed away earlier this year.

He said: “I’m sure Ron was looking down on us and would have enjoyed that one himself. Ron's always with us - we're going to put a collage of him up at the training ground, and he lives on through us and through his family as well.

"I wish he'd been there today because it would have been a fantastic thing for him to see but he's a constant in terms of the way we speak of him. He gave a lot of us our opportunities here.

“It felt like a great win, it was quite emotional at the end. It’s a brilliant club, from the board, fans, playing staff and academy.

“So we felt like we owed something today to the fanbase, they deserved that one. That was certainly for everyone. It was a great club win that and I’m just so proud for everyone in club colours."

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.