Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland is pelted with objects – including a pie (which he took a bite of!) and a bottle opener – thrown by Hibs fans as boss Steven Naismith warns away supporters could be banned from Edinburgh derby
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Steven Naismith warned that a repeat of the missile throwing before Lawrence Shankland’s penalty could spell the end of the Edinburgh derby as we know it.
When he had the chance to cancel out Emiliano Marcondes’ opener from 12 yards, the Hearts captain had to delay his attack for more than a minute as objects were thrown in his direction by home fans.
A bottle opener, lighter, a meat pie and a pair of Apple AirPods were thrown at Shankland as he stepped forward to take the penalty. The Hearts striker took a bite of the pie before laughing at the opposition fans.
Naismith, meanwhile, believes such embarrassing scenes could ultimately lead to the number of Hibs fans attending future games in Gorgie being reduced.
“The way he acts before the penalty and his composure to find the net, these are the decisive moments in games,” he said. ‘But all these things that are being launched are simply not acceptable.
Steven Naismith warned that missile throwing, as seen during Tuesday’s match between Hibernian and Hearts, could spell the end of the Edinburgh derby
Lawrence Shankland took a penalty at the end of the first half, but numerous missiles were thrown at him, including a bottle opener
A meat pie was also thrown onto the pitch, after which the centre-forward picked it up and took a bite
‘If that’s looked at, what’s going to happen is they’re just going to reduce the number of fans that can get into the stands and that’s going to affect what I think is a good atmosphere and a good derby, which is a fierce rivalry.
‘They’re just idiots who are going to spoil the party for everyone.
“I think it was whatever was in everyone’s pockets, whether it was comics, vapes or whatever. It’s just not good enough.’
Naismith was disappointed that his side did not do enough to win the match and extend their lead in the Premier League over their city rivals. “It was a little bit better than our last game (at Ibrox), but it was probably lacking a bit of quality for both teams,” he said.
‘It was end-to-end at times, both teams had chances and in the end that bit of quality was what was missing in the match.
“When we fell behind we showed good resilience to get back into it and dominate some of the game. When we controlled the ball and made the right decisions, we posed a threat and created chances. It was just that last moment.”
Naismith thought the penalty given by referee Kevin Clancy for Will Fish’s foul on Kenneth Vargas was correct.
Some fans even threw a pair of Apple AirPods at Shankland, which seemed to stun the attacker
He was also seen holding a cigarette lighter, with Naismith claiming that ‘some idiots are going to spoil the party for everyone’
“When he went to the screen I was very confident we would still get the penalty, if I’m honest,” he added.
“I felt like Kenneth got enough possession to call it a foul, but if the ball wasn’t given, I thought you wouldn’t have had an argument.”
Hibs boss Nick Montgomery said his side should have left Tynecastle with a win.
“It’s a testament to the team I put together, with some help in the window,” he said of the exhibit.
‘The momentum has grown in recent weeks.
“I thought we were brilliant tonight, I thought we deserved all three points.”