‘Fiery’ - Calem Nieuwenhof on his Hearts v Hibs expectations

Australian Calem Niewenhof is preparing for his first ever Edinburgh Derby and is under no illusions as to the fire and ferocity he should be expecting. With yellow weather warnings already looming in the area, the impending clash is expected to be a proper old school derby with the physical battle to be ramped up.

The midfielder joined Hearts as their second summer signing and has since been given an increasing amount of game time from Steven Naismith as he begins to settle into life in the Scottish capital. However the real test, as he is well aware, will come at 3pm at Tynecastle.

Speaking to the press ahead of the fixture, Nieuwenhof was asked about his position within the team and, after having started recently, if this puts him in good stead for the derby: “I’m happy I’ve got to play the last few games. Last couple of games have been good, we’ve got a couple of wins, we’re finding form and just trying to bring that into this big game, obviously.

“I feel I’m settling in a lot more recently, obviously played deeper in the last few games which is where I’m more naturally used to and more my position. I just want to keep playing week in week out and get as many minutes as I can. And obviously with the team, we just want to get some consistency and we know that if we find some form then we will start climbing the ladder.”

While this marks his first Scottish derby, Nieuwenhof is no stranger to the concept having played in many a Western Sydney vs Sydney FC clash and is ready to draw on this experience.

He continued: “Back in Australia the derbies were my favourite games. We played a few last season and they always had the biggest crowd and had the most emotion in them and they were the most fiery. I think all derbies have that extra emotion in the game. They’re the games you want to play in as a player and makes me really look forward to the game tomorrow.”

Nieuwenhof will be far from the only Australian on the pitch as he is set to be joined by Sammy Devlin and Kye Rowles from his own team and will likely face Lewis Miller and Adam Le Fondre - the latter of which he played with last season.

So, while many fans and players will be focusing on the inter-city derby, there will be a whole host who will look to see how the Australian derby intertwines itself at Tynecastle.

“There’s heaps of Aussies in both teams so I’m sure that will just add to it. I know a few of the boys over in that team and I’ve played with a couple. (Miller and Nieuwenhof) are kind of from the same area back in Australia, he was an age group above me but we’ve always been in and around the same sort of teams so I know him quite well.”

Hibs defender Miller recently made it into this international squad and will prepare to face England next week. While Niewenhof failed to receive the call-up this time around, he knows what it will take to make sure he is not too far away from donning the yellow jersey:

“I think, to be honest, I’m really focused on just putting my best foot forward every game and I know that if I do play well and get some consistency over here then they’ll put me in the best position to get a call-up eventually.

“I’m also still involved with the 23s and we’ve got a campaign to qualify for the Olympics which is another big goal of mine but for sure I just want to play as much as I can over here and hopefully keep putting in good performances and that will give me the best chance. So many Aussie boys have come over and done super well and are involved with the national team now so I think that’s really helpful.”

His experience with his fellow compatriots, however, will put him in good stead as he is set to face a manager who enjoyed a lot of success in the Australian A-League. Speaking of the former Central Coast Mariners boss, the 22-year-old said: “I know back in Australia he did a really great job with the Mariners and the team he created was a really fast paced style of football, really aggressive players. I’m expecting more of the same and I know he’ll be trying to fire them up. I’m expecting a fiery match and I’m sure they will be up for it as will we.”