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Hearts manager Wouter Vrancken believes his compatriot Sebastien Pocognoli must be considering James Wilson, Josh McPake and Calvin Miller for inclusion in his first Scotland squad this month.
New Scotland head coach Pocognoli was at Easter Road last night to witness all three play starring roles for Hearts as Vrancken enjoyed a 3-1 victory in his first Edinburgh derby.
Wilson and McPake were both on the scoresheet, while winger Miller also continued his recent fine form.
Vrancken is ready to put in a good word for all three when he next speaks to Pocognoli but also admits he would selfishly prefer his players to have a rest when Scotland open their Nations League campaign with games against Slovenia and Switzerland at the end of September.
‘The three of them make a good case (for Scotland),’ said Vrancken. ‘Maybe as a fellow Belgian, I have to give Sebastian a phone call.
‘I didn’t see him tonight. For me, though, it would also be no problem if he gave them a rest in the international break.
Josh McPake celebrates his goal with fellow scorer James Wilson on a glory night for Hearts
‘All three are doing well. James is a young boy, physically he is not top yet, but he is coachable. He picks things up and you can see his confidence.
‘I’m also happy to see Josh make those steps. It wasn’t always easy at the start of the season, he struggled to be incisive, but he is adapting really well.’
Wilson and Laurent Mendy fired Hearts into a 2-0 half-time lead before Adam Mayor pulled one back for Hibs at the start of the second half.
Hibs defender Jack Iredale was then sent off for a second bookable offence and Hearts regained control as McPake made it 3-1.
‘We played a brilliant first half,’ said Vrancken. ‘We had to adapt to their changes at the start of the second half. But I was proud the guys kept their heads, found quality again and got the three points.
‘It is important to man up in the duels in a derby game but you also have to control your emotions, which we did. The sending off gave us more air to breathe.
Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken was thrilled to come out on top in his first Edinburgh derby
‘I enjoyed it a lot. The support of our fans was amazing, it felt like a home game. It’s good to create that synergy between what’s happening on and off the pitch. I hope it gives us extra confidence.’
Hearts are now third in the Premiership table, three points behind leaders Celtic, and Vrancken is confident they can continue to progress.
‘We can improve, 100 per cent,’ he said. ‘There will be ups and downs but we just have to work like this. It’s just starting and we need to keep pushing.’
It was a third consecutive top flight derby defeat for Hibs for the first time since 2012 and many home supporters left the stadium long before the final whistle.
‘The fans will be frustrated,’ said Hibs manager David Gray. ‘It’s about winning. People go to work with their bragging rights, I get all that. You want them to stay to the very end, but I get it. They are rightly frustrated but the way you bounce back is by sticking together.
Josh McPake roars his delight towards the visiting supporters as Hearts hail a famous win
‘It’s my responsibility to win games of football, I take that on board. It is difficult tonight. The way we started the game, the first half wasn’t good enough. The goals are really poor but we should also equalise at 1-0 down.
‘But I couldn’t complain at being 2-0 down at half-time. We made a couple of changes and the way we started the second half was much better.
‘At 2-1, it felt like the momentum was with us. Then it was a multitude of errors for the red card. I can’t defend it. The third goal we lose is really poor as well.
‘The 10 men remaining still created chances but we aren’t taking enough chances when we are on top in games. We gave ourselves too much to do and it was self inflicted.’
