Alim Ozturk received a pass from Prince Buaben. Every fan of Heart of Midlothian knows the moment. The Turkish centre-back, striding forward into the Easter Road half, appeared to have just one thing in his mind: 'Shoot'.

At the same time, there were many in the packed away stand pleading with him not to shoot. Resigning themselves to a 1-0 defeat to their city rivals in a Championship encounter in October 2014.

Aidan Denholm was one of those supporters. Standing next to his dad he remembers thinking 'not a chance'. 

READ MORE: The 4 standouts from Hearts win over St Mirren: Beni balance to dynamic Denholm

Then... Well, the rest is history. One of the most emphatic goals to secure a point which felt like more. Much, much more. 

"I was actually there when Alim Ozturk scored the equaliser," he recalled. "I was in the stand with my dad for that one and it was probably one of the most iconic ones. When he was lining up that shot I was thinking ‘not a chance’ but he had the quality and it was a moment to remember."

Come Wednesday, Denholm won't be in the away end. Going by his last two performances, in the 2-0 wins over Celtic and St Mirren, he could well be lining up on the pitch, in front of his grandad, family and friends.

"To play in a derby, every Hearts fan wants to play in a derby, would be amazing," the 20-year-old said. "You can see my passion and that’s what I want to do but I don't pick the team. I will just be ready, no matter what.

"It is everything, really, You want to get bragging rights over the other team in Edinburgh. I have never played in one but I know what it means as a fan and I know the fans are passionate about winning it. We know it will be a tough game, going down there.

"I have been there as a fan, winning away, and it’s amazing. I was at the 3-1 one when Conor Washington and all that scored [March 2020], so I know what it takes to win and I’m hoping I can play a role in that this time."

He added: "I have had a few people asking me [for tickets] but I had the three secured and my grandad and my family get them. They don’t miss a game. They were at the St Mirren game and they keep me humble. If they see me getting a wee bit carried away, they are straight onto me." 

Denholm plays with an abundance of personality. Energy, work-rate, attitude. He is a reflection of those in the stands on the pitch. That can be seen when celebrating goals. He was the first one over to Stephen Kingsley to celebrate the free-kick goal against Celtic. Then there was his celebration for Lawrence Shankland's second against St Mirren - "I think I got more excited than him!".

Who knows what his celebration would have been like if an effort that went whistling past the post in the first-half had crept into the net.

READ MORE: Interest in Shankland and tactical tweaks against St Mirren - Steven Naismith Q&A

"It fell to me on the edge of the box from a corner and I hit it quite nicely," he said. "I felt I had a good start to the game and I was growing in confidence and I thought ‘why not?’. I don't think we shoot enough from outside the box as well. We try to pass into the box and that is good but it can be difficult when teams sit in.

And, after his starring role in the 2-0 win over the Buddies, the midfielder will be one of the first names on many Hearts fans' starting line-up for the derby. Head coach Steven Naismith likes to make changes from game to game but it would be the latest show of faith in Denholm if he was to start.

"He shows a lot of trust in me," the player said. "Being let go last summer but then him offering me a deal, that shows he has faith in me. I am just trying to repay him as much as I can. He put me in against Celtic and that is one you want to be playing in as a Hearts fan and to get the 2-0 win was amazing - a dream come true - and then against St Mirren I was playing again.

"I am growing in confidence game by game and now I’m looking forward to the derby."