Neil Alexander warns Hibs they won't be so sloppy in replay

Hibs took full advantage, with strikes from Jason Cummings and Paul Hanlon in the final 10 minutes taking the tie back to Easter Road.

“Did some of us think the job was done? Possibly, yes. Perhaps we thought at half-time that the game was won and we’d just see it out,” he said. “That was the wrong way to approach it and we should have been much better in the second half. It’s especially poor given how well we have defended generally this season.

“We stopped doing what we did in the first half, which was our fault. We knew whoever got that third goal was going to be massive – and it proved to be costly for us. But we’ll learn our lesson – you learn the hard way sometimes. We won’t fall into the trap again and we’ll try to put it right on Tuesday.”

Head coach Neilson has come in for plenty of flak from the supporters at Tynecastle and online, despite Hearts remaining in the competition and flying high in the league. Alexander admits that is par for the course when representing a club the size of Hearts.

“When you give up a two-goal lead you are going to face criticism, regardless of whether it is Hibs or anyone else. That comes with the job,” said Alexander who has held talks with Neilson over a new contract, with all parties evidently happy for the former Scotland goalkeeper to remain at Tynecastle.

“That is football and it’s the nature of playing at a club the size of Hearts, the expectations are huge. Because of where we are in the league and how well we have done recently, the expectations are through the roof.

“That can make things difficult. It puts a lot of pressure on the team, especially the young lads. Some of us can handle it, some can find it difficult to play in those conditions. But those high standards from the fans are a credit to how well we have done.”

While Hearts were cruising in the first half, it was something of a nightmare for Hibernian defender Darren McGregor, who was experiencing his maiden Edinburgh derby.

Having grown up using jumpers for goalposts on the streets of Leith and sneaking into Easter Road to marvel at the defensive masterclass delivered by cult hero Franck Sauzee, he had begun to wonder whether he would ever play in the derby, but even if a fraught first half did not go as planned, last weekend’s cup clash was everything the 30-year-old thought it would be.

“It’s well known I’m a Hibs fan so for me to play in a derby, it was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had in football,” Alexander said. As a youngster at six, seven playing football on the streets of Leith, you always imagine or dream you’d play in a game of that significance. I can tick that off the list and to get the chance of another one so quickly, it’s great.

“It was an interesting game to say the least. We came in at half-time and were scratching our heads, thinking: ‘How are we 2-0 down?’ After they scored two goals it starts to turn into a nightmare and we’re thinking: ‘We need to get going here’. But we always believed in our own ability.”

McGregor will walk through the players’ entrance proudly on Tuesday evening but admits gaining access to Easter Road as a kid was a bit trickier.

“Me and my mates used to sneak in,” he said. “We used to climb over the wall in the old East Stand and scarper up the rubble.

“I probably saved a good couple of hundred pounds and I hope [Hibs chairman] Rod Petrie doesn’t chap on the door and ask for it back now.

“Franck Sauzee was my favourite player. To see a centre-half take free-kicks and being so relaxed on the ball, was a joy to watch. He was my idol.”