Gary Mackay relishing one of Hearts’ biggest-ever home games against Rangers

Gary Mackay is relishing arguably the biggest match Hearts have ever hosted as his boyhood club bid to take another huge step towards the William Hill Premiership title against rivals Rangers.

The Edinburgh club’s record appearance maker cannot recall a bigger match at Tynecastle than next Monday evening’s mouth-watering showdown between two of the three teams chasing the Scottish crown.

The Jambos are three points ahead of Celtic and four above Gers with just four games remaining of their quest to end 40 seasons of Old Firm dominance and win the title for the first time since 1960.

“There’s a gentleman I know, for example, who attended his 205th Edinburgh derby on Sunday,” Mackay told the Press Association. “He’s 78, 79 now, and he texted me after the game to say that Monday is as big a game as he’s seen since 1960.

“Everybody’s got their own thoughts and their own memories of why Monday is so important.”

Mackay was playing for Hearts the last time they got so close to a title win before losing out to Celtic on a dramatic final day in 1986.

The 62-year-old went through a full range of emotions as he watched Sunday’s dramatic 2-1 win over Hibernian from the away end at Easter Road, and he has urged his fellow supporters to try to prevent their anxiety transmitting to the players on Monday.

“I don’t think any of us at this time last year thought we were going to be where we are, and I think that’s why the emotions are so high,” said Mackay.

“It’s important we get rid of any kind of negativity – it doesn’t matter where we are in the 10th minute, or the 70th minute come Monday, we need to be right behind the team from the first minute to the last, because if any of us supporters had thought last year that we would be talking like this with four games to go, we would have thought that there was something wrong with us.

“The players and management have given us a season that is up there with one of the best I’ve ever had as a Hearts supporter, and it’s up to us to repay them by getting right behind them and making sure we give them the best chance possible to get the outcome we all want.

“We’re going into our second-last home game, not having lost at home all season, and having made Tynecastle a fortress so that gives you great belief that you’re going to get something from the game.

“And you get belief when you look at the league table. We’ve not been an overnight sensation, we’ve been here for a long period and showed our credentials right the way through since September.

“There’ll be a huge amount of pressure on both sets of players on Monday, but I would think there’s probably more pressure on Rangers.”