Jack Iredale dedicates Hibs derby winner to someone special as he offers glimpse inside 'emotional' Hearts celebrations
Jack Iredale already knows the local pride involved in having Sunshine on Leith belting out at Easter Road on derby day. But it was a growing Hibs community on the other side of the planet to whom the big defender was dedicating his ‘worldie’ of a winner against Hearts.
The 28-year-old revealed dad Paul and mum Fiona tune into every Hibs game from Down Under even if that normally means sitting up until the small hours of the morning. For the second time in eight days after last weekend’s win over Celtic they would have enjoyed extended viewing as their son’s strike - his first for the club - ensured the customary rendition of the Proclaimers hit blasted out the Easter Road PA system.
And former Bolton stopper Iredale said: "That's the best song in world football, being able to share something like that with the fans. Even when I had absolutely no link to Hibs, you see the Scottish Cup final, the scenes of Sunshine on Leith at Hampden there. To be able to experience it myself, the last two weeks at home with all the fans, it's a special day.
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"I don't know about a tear in the eye - but it gives you a lot of pride. It's a reward for working so hard and you see how much it means to the fans and to your family and friends as well.
“Mum and dad back home watching and missus and friends up in the crowd. So, it's a special day for me, and it's something that I'll enjoy today.Mum and dad stay up and watch every game. Even the night-time fixtures, there's an eight-hour difference for home. They're eight hours ahead.
“So, the night-time kick-offs are half three, four o'clock in the morning, but they're up. Dad's always got his Hibs top on. They've got a coffee and they're watching. I’m an only child. I've got a close relationship with my family. So, they've been my biggest supporters as well.”
Ireland has been a rock at the heart of Hibs’ backline since his summer move from Bolton. Ahead of the derby he revealed how he was diagnosed with diabetes as a teenager and he’s also battled back from three cruciate knee injuries.
But days like Sunday make it all worthwhile. And with Hibs’ momentum off the back of a remarkable 15-game unbeaten run taking them from the bottom of the table after nine games to looking good for a third placed finish he hopes there’s more to come.
Of the scenes at full-time he said: “It’s a bit emotional, really. I had an interview earlier in the week where I talk about my journey a little bit. I've been on a bit of a roller coaster to get here. And I know it's not the end of the road, but to be able to enjoy a moment like that... I know a couple of the boys haven't heard Sunshine on Leith in a while and then obviously we get two in the one week. So, it's something that you'll never ever get used to.
“The goal? I think it means the most. I've not scored many. I've scored a couple of nice ones, but I think that one will be up the top because of the strike and obviously the day that it means as well.
"The messages have always been catch the team in front and take it game by game. That's not going to change.”
Iredale is a walking example of how timing is everything in football. His first goal for Hibs could barely have come at a more important time or in a more important fixture. But the Leith hero’s introduction to the starting XI back in November, in a 3-3 draw with Aberdeen, has also coincided with the run that means they have lost just once in 18 games in all competitions.
He said: “I’ve always been confident in what I can bring to a team. The formation and style of play definitely suits me. But we've got a changing room there full of good guys, full of guys that you go to battle with and full of quality as well.
“So you see when we defend properly, we've got the quality and the technical ability up top that can create things and score a lot of goals. You've got the amount of good deliveries that we get from wide areas, the amount of bodies in the box, and the hard work as well. So it's a good team to be a part of, and I'm happy to feel like an important part of it as well.
“You feel the momentum. You feel the confidence. I know when we were going through that rough patch at the start of the season, it's not like we were playing badly. It was just silly mistakes, constantly, that were costing us.
“But we took a lot of confidence from the coaching staff in the fact that their messages weren't changing. And I know the gaffer was under a lot of pressure, but he would not let that sort of seep down into us.”
