Hibs head coach Paul Heckingbottom admits he would ‘hate’ to see Celtic celebrating at Easter Road on Sunday.
Heckingbottom was in charge of Barnsley when Newcastle United clinched the English Championship crown with a final day thrashing of the Tykes two years ago and the 41-year-old did not enjoy that experience.
The Hoops can clinch an eighth successive title and move one step closer to a treble treble if Rangers don’t beat Hearts on Sunday and they overcome Hibs.
With the Leith outfit still cashing down third place and an automatic Europa League spot, Heckingbottom, however, is desperate to avoid playing host to a party.
He said: “No-one would like it but me personally I would hate it.
“I would be jealous. That’s what you play for, to get in the position they are in.
“We might be able to chase something down ourselves, that’s our goal.
“We had it at Barnsley in the last game of the season at Newcastle. You are a bit part.
“They have earned the right to be in that position, but we are chasing our own things and from our own position we want to do our job for ourselves.
“It’s strange, we’d had a good season but we weren’t playing for anything by that point against Newcastle so you almost feel as if you are making the numbers up.
“It was 3-0, they went two up early on. I’d have walked on myself and given them the trophy just to get off the pitch.”
Hibs are now only six points adrift of third place having reduced that gap from 14 when Heckingbottom first took over and midfielder Stevie Mallan insists there is no reason why they cannot defy the odds to achieve Europa League football.
He said: “Hopefully we can start on a high, we don’t want to lose the game as we want to be in that top three, four.
“It is going to be tough, a lot of people wrote us off getting the top six and maybe we can shut a few more people up.
“We’re still six points away with five to play and if we do make that top four it’s going to be momentous task from the full squad.
“Playing against the best teams make it harder but the belief is there with the run we’ve been on just now.”
