The Edinburgh Derby can't come quickly enough for most at Easter Road - but for Colin Nish this is a very long week with nothing much to look forward to at the end of it, the striker having to sit out the big match through a suspension that seems to be lasting a lot longer than the 3-match ban it is.

That of course is because the ban is being served between cup-ties, but Nish is obviously hurting that little bit more over this suspension including as it does a Tynecastle Derby that no player ever wishes to miss: "It's not nice to have to miss it - and I think I missed the Derby around this time last year for the same reason, but I guess I've nobody to blame for that but myself. It is all the same disappointing, I've never really fully understood how it all works out but these are the rules and I'll miss the game on Saturday. So the boys will have to do it without me - no doubt it will be another Derby battle, I'm sure both sides will try and play football but most of these games are settled on who wins the battle at the end of the day."

Hibernian currently hold a ten-point advantage over their city rivals, and with a game in hand over Hearts the side have rarely gone into one of these games over recent times with such an advantage. In terms of this particular game that is naturally pretty much meaningless, the form-book going out of the window with Hearts now having Jim Jefferies back in the helm adding that little bit more to the occasion. Nish is sensing a confidence at the Hibernian Training Centre - in spite of recent performances perhaps not reaching the highs seen in the first half of the season.

The striker said: "The last few games we've not played very well but we've not been losing either, in fact over the season we've a very good record at home. This one is at Tynecastle of course but I can't remember us going there for some time now and losing - in fact I don't remember us losing at all to Hearts since I came here, and we're above them in the league just now for a reason - we are a better team than them. And I'm sure we can go there on Saturday and prove that we are a better team right now."

Nish will be available for selection again on Tuesday for the Scottish Cup replay in Dingwall - and the prospect of that important game could cast a slight shadow over the Hibernian preparations, although Nish insists that there would be no better approach to the Cup tie than a win at Tynecastle: "Of course winning on Saturday would give us a massive boost ahead of the Scottish Cup replay. The Derby is a game everyone wants to play in and everyone wants to win - if we can do that on Saturday then it will give us an added impetus against Ross County.

"I'm not sure though if I'll go to Tynecastle on Saturday or just watch it on television - I'm not a great spectator at the best of times. The longer this week goes on the more excited everyone will get about this game, but I'm sort of on the sidelines and will probably have a bounce game to look forward to!"