Sixteen years may have passed but Calum Elliot can recount his first and only Edinburgh derby goal as if it happened yesterday.
Rudi Skacel racing down the wing and throwing in a perfect cross, himself bursting into the box and shaking off the attention of Gary Caldwell with a shimmy before unleashing a volley high into the net.
It was the clinching goal in a 4-1 Tynecastle rout late in January 2006 as Hearts stormed towards a second-place finish.
Three months later they’d thump another four goals past Hibs at Hampden in a semi-final thrashing on their way to Scottish Cup glory.
It remains Hearts ’ best season of the millennium.
But parallels are already being drawn in the maroon class of 2022 – not least with a monumental league and Scottish Cup semi-final double-header looming on the horizon.
Elliot was a key man in that Jambos side of 2005/06, making 34 appearances. But the first two names on the team sheet for the majority of the season were even more important.
Craig Gordon and Robbie Neilson.
Two figures who drove that side to glory and who 16 years later, as captain and manager, are doing exactly the same.
Elliot – now managing himself at East of Scotland League high-flyers Tranent – said: “That 2005/06 season was special in so many ways. It was my second as a professional.
“Scoring against Hibs is something you always want to tick off and thankfully I managed that.
“I remember it vividly. Rudi has broken down the left, I’ve gone one way then the other in the box to create a few yards for myself and met his cross on the volley.
“It was right in front of our fans in the Gorgie end, our fourth goal in a brilliant match and the celebration is just a blur as Tynecastle was bouncing. It’s what you dream of as a Hearts player. This is probably the strongest Hearts side since that 2005/06 season.
“Robbie has done a brilliant job after coming under a bit of pressure last year but everyone now recognises how big a job he has done.
“The recruitment has been outstanding and they are playing some really good football.
“It’s incredible that big Craig is back there doing what he’s always done between the sticks.
“He is just an incredible goalkeeper with a massive presence.
“He gets better and better.
“His calming influence on the defence and everyone round about him was massive for us and is even more important now 16 years later. Robbie was the same.
“He was a model pro and an important part of the team. He had to work really hard to have the career he did as a player so you know people like that must have a bit about them.
“He has done really well for himself and has had success at a number of clubs.
“The fact he’s not content with what’s already been achieved this season speaks wonders – he wants the club to be the absolute best it can be.
“That means tying up third place and trying to win the Scottish Cup. Regardless of the outcome of the next two games I think Hearts have had a great season. But Robbie will be doing all he can to win them both.”
Hearts can all but seal third place with victory in Gorgie this weekend. It would tee them up perfectly for the rematch at Hampden seven days later.
But while there’s a gap as wide as Princes Street between the two sides in the table, nothing has separated them in two derby encounters so far this season, both of which have ended goalless.
It was similarly well balanced on the field going into the semi final of 2006. But the Jambos – inspired by a Paul Hartley hat-trick – swept away their rivals with a 4-0 thrashing.
Elliot said: “I’ll never forget the build-up that day. In the bus heading into the stadium the supporters were lining the streets.
“It was a sea of maroon and white and was absolutely brilliant.
“Even while we were warming up the Hearts side of the stadium was full. Jam packed. The boys knew right there and then that we simply couldn’t let the supporters down.
“Paul grabbed the headlines with the hat-trick but it was a solid team performance against a right good Hibs side.
“They had Gary Caldwell, Steven Whittaker, Kevin Thomson – they had beaten us twice at Easter Road and we had won both games at Tynecastle comfortably. So it was evenly matched.
“It’s hard to compare the two seasons as there was so much going on back then. We had four different managers throughout the one season!
“This year has been all about consistency and playing a good brand of football.
“Hearts have good options up front. Even the boys that don’t start have a big role to play. There’s real strength in depth.
“I’d love to see them win both derby games to make it a really memorable season.
“They are back exactly where Hearts should be.”
