Lee Johnson has urged his players to make sure their first derby victory in three years doesn't just become a one-off as they gave their European ambitions a massive boost with victory over Hearts.
Kevin Nisbet's goal in the 67th minute reignited the Hibs' push for the top six in what was their first derby victory since Boxing Day 2019, and a first at Easter Road since March 2018.
The result leaves Hibs still in sixth with 43 points knowing a defeat for Livingston against St Johnstone on Saturday (April 15) would confirm their place in the top six, but they now trail Hearts by just two points going into their final game before the split away to the Perth Saints next weekend.
READ MORE: Hibs 1 Hearts 0 as Kevin Nisbet steps up, top six destiny in own hands - 3 things we learned
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Johnson, who was left emotional by the jubilant scenes at full-time in the capital, heaped his praise on the fans who were able to savour a precious victory over Steven Naismith's Jambos, as the interim Hearts boss suffered defeat in his first game.
He told BBC Sportsound: "I really enjoyed it, it went quick. It was intense, passionate, I thought our fans were unbelievable today.
"It was a club win, everybody won that from the staff and the players to the board and the fans and we're desperate to give something back. It's a wonderful club with so much potential, and these are the days and these are the performances that we need more and more of.
"We haven't done the job yet in terms of securing top six and fighting for Europe, but I think it was a performance marker today in the way that we played and the manner that we went about our business against a good Hearts side."
Boosted by the return of Paul Hanlon, Johnson felt he saw what his strongest side looked like in the battle at Easter Road, as he praised the squad for leaving everything on the Easter Road pitch with their heroic display.
He said: "It was strong and this is my frustration with the course of the season so far. Very rarely have we been able to play our strongest side but absolute credit goes to the boys in the way that every man left nothing on the pitch.
"That's what you've got to do to win consistently. We're not in a place where we can Barcelona somebody in terms of passing and our movement but we played forward, we ran forward, we tackled and battled and that's what our fans want to see.
"Arguably we could have had more opportunities than we did, but we got into some great areas."
Johnson is now turning his attention to the continued battle for Europe, as he looked to his players to ensure the precious result was not a one-off.
"It can't be a one-off, you can't just turn up for passionate games and not turn up for the games that are your bread and butter. There's got to be a consistency from day one," said Johnson.
"I've said that we've got to keep building this character and keep building the performance and I want to see the pitch personality, and today I did see that on and off the pitch.
"That's what I believe, and believed, that Hibs is and that's what drives me everyday and that's why I'm here to prove a point."
Fans were quick to belt out Sunshine on Leith at full-time, and Johnson admitted he was emotional after the final whistle as he admitted a derby victory had felt long overdue for Hibs.
He added: "I'm quite nostalgic and to be honest I had a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye at the end there because it felt emotional. It's three points and it's no more than three points but it felt like it's been too long coming.
"Obviously the noise in the background, we've tried to stay really focused on our performance and you heard me in the press conference and how positive we were about that.
"It was a good day for us and we want many, many more of them."
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