Lewis Miller insists Hibs are ready to turn Edinburgh green - and leave Hearts looking on with envy.
The bullish Aussie reckons Lee Johnson’s side have already turned heads by closing the gap but now he’s confident of turning the tables on their capital rivals completely by dumping them in their own back yard and pipping them to fourth spot. Miller might only have been in the city for 10 months since being plucked from Central Coast Mariners back in Australia. But it’s taken him no time to learn what matters most in the capital’s football landscape.
Beating Hearts is what makes Hibees tick and the 22-year-old reckons it’s written in the rules around Leith. Do that this lunchtime and Hibs not only grab bragging rights but also the Premiership's last nailed-on European place. Miller, who made his derby debut with a cameo in the 1-0 win in Leith last month and was man of the match in Wednesday’s win over Celtic, said: “We want to turn Edinburgh green. Hearts have been doing quite well but we are turning heads now.
“We’re ready to overtake them in the table and hopefully with European football as well. I trust this team and the ability we have. We are ready for the next stage and the next level.
“We just beat Celtic at home. But if you watched us the last couple of weeks we are on the rise. We know exactly what we’re going to do now.
“We went through a transition stage mid-season that never went too well but now we’ve flipped the switch and are going up and up. We’ll see what happens this time. I’ll give 110 per cent. I’m Hibs so I’ve got to beat Hearts - it’s written in the rules isn’t it?!”
Miller might have been a total stranger when he arrived in Leith last summer - yet he only has to look across the city for two pals he shared a dressing room with on the other side of the world only a year ago. Hearts duo Kye Rowles and Garang Kuol were both team mates at the Mariners.
Along with the Jambos extended Aussie contingent that includes Cammy Devlin and Nat Atkinson it’s an Aussie invasion that helped Miller cope with missing the first half of the season through injury.
But he knows there’s no place for cross-city friendships on today of all days.
He said: “I know Rowles and Garang. I played with them and I’ve played against Devlin and Atkinson and they are all quality players.
“That’s why we are all overseas because we all wanted to get to the next level and make the next step. It’s credit to them but, like I said, we are going to beat them on the weekend.
“I caught up with them when I first came over. It’s always good to see familiar faces. People that you know can help you ease in, especially since we are all footballers we know what we are all going through coming from Australia and moving halfway around the world.
“I don’t know if I’ll be up against Garang. But I’ve trained with him, I’ve played with him so I know how he plays. So it’s advantage me!
“The Central Coast Mariners’ derby is against Newcastle Jets. You usually get a decent crowd but nothing like the Edinburgh derby.
“Obviously this is one of the biggest games in the season. The derby is immense. We had a few back in Australia but they weren’t anything like they are here.
“I expect it’s going to be loud and intense but I’m very excited for it. You couldn’t write it any better going into this, beating Celtic at home. It’s exactly what we needed. Confidence is sky high. We all believe we can beat anyone, especially if we keep playing the way we are. We’re playing unreal to be honest.”
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