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GARY Locke used to revel in Edinburgh derbies as a Hearts player and manager but will be going all out to prevent one from taking place in this season’s Scottish Cup.
The Raith Rovers boss is relishing his return to Tynecastle for Wednesday evening’s replay after being thrilled with the way his side recovered from going a goal behind to earn a 1-1 draw at home on Sunday.
He readily accepts his old club are likely to pose different problems on their own turf and knows how many on both sides of the Edinburgh football divide will be desperate for Hearts to progress to a mouthwatering encounter with rivals Hibs in the fifth round.
However, Locke believes the incentive is just as big for Raith as they seek a rerun of their cup clash with the eventual trophy winners last January.
He said: “You look at the draw and it’s a potential Edinburgh derby.
“We have to hope that’s not the case.
“We want to go to Tynecastle, get a result and make sure it’s us playing Hibs in the next round.
“We still very much have a huge part to play in whether there is an Edinburgh derby or not. It’s up to us.
“For me, it’s a great chance.
“We have done well against the bigger clubs and it was good to get a result against Hearts.
“We should take a lot of confidence from that.”
CRAZY
Locke refused to criticise Hearts counterpart Ian Cathro for seeming to discount the possibility of Raith taking the tie to a replay.
Cathro revealed after Sunday’s clash that he had not checked when the rematch would be and branded the scheduling of it as ‘crazy’, despite it being the date Hearts themselves had asked for.
Locke admitted he was aware in advance of Sunday that they would have to go again this midweek should there be a draw and insisted he is content to send his side out again so soon.
He added: “I knew the replay date before the game, but I wasn’t thinking about it.
“My sole focus was just on the game and then, after it, we were aware that we had to go again on Wednesday.
“It’s a quick turnaround but we just have to get on with it and we are ready.
“We are delighted with the way we played, especially in the second half.
“But this is a different prospect altogether, playing Hearts at Tynecastle.
“It’s a great test for the young lads especially and it’s one we should all look forward to.
“Hopefully we can go there and play as well as we did in the second half.”
