Neil Janczyk breaks down iconic Hearts cameo against Hibs

Reading the above, those of a maroon and white persuasion will be taken to Tynecastle Park. January 2, 2003. A Thursday. Drawing 2-2 going into the final minutes, Hearts would concede either side of stoppage time. As a black bin bag blew across the Gorgie turf, they would somehow find a way to draw, Graham Weir scoring twice. Those who were leaving stopped. Those who had already left turned and tried to join in the triumph.

Yet, before that came a derby. A comeback. A teenager stepping off the bench. A bit of magic. A colossal cameo which in this writer's view, is up there with Weir's finest moment in maroon. And, for good measure, the Mark de Vries 5-1 derby at the beginning of the 2002/03 campaign.

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Sunday, November 3. Hibs were leading 1-0 in Leith. They took the lead through Mixu Paatelainen in what was a relatively even first half. After the interval, however, it was the home side who were pushing and pushing, the more likely to add to their lead. They came into the match full of confidence having won the previous five and no doubt looking to avenge the thumping dished out in Gorgie in the second league game of the season.

Paatelainen had opportunities and so did Garry O'Connor. 

Craig Levein had switched from a back three to a 4-4-2. Without De Vries, Kevin McKenna was pushed up front. Weir had replaced Andy Kirk. But still, Hearts struggled to create.

Levein made a further substitute. This time in the 81st minute. Scott Severin was replaced by a 19-year-old making just his fourth competitive appearance for the club. As Neil Janczyk found his bearings on the pitch, Hibs fans belted out 'Who the fucking hell are you?'

They would soon find out.

Five minutes later, after booing Steven Pressley for remonstrating with the linesman, Hibs fans broke into "all for goals and glory" as Nick Colgan threw the ball out to his right. To Alen Orman. Janczyk read it. With the help of Jean Louis Valois, he pinched the ball off the Hibs midfielder before striding into the Hibs half. He carried the ball five yards. Ten yards. 15 yards. 20 yards. All while continuing to look up and assess his options. As two opposing players began to close him down he pulled back his left foot and clipped the most perfect ball to the back post—the corner of the six-yard box. There was McKenna. The big head of the Canadian 'Moose'...

"At the time, whoever got the ball out wide at times like that... Kev McKenna always got told to peel [away] on the diagonal," Janczyk told Hearts Standard. "I’ve got the ball, managed to get my head up, saw Kev pulling off and just tried to put it in that area. Luckily enough it went right on his heid and it was some finish as well!

The header was perfect. Without getting carried away it was world class. The placement to rival Jared Borgetti's header for Mexico against Italy at the World Cup earlier that year. But the header was only possible because of the cross. The inch-perfect cross. Janzcyk delivered it like a left-footed David Beckham.

Just 19 at the time. Janczyk was viewed as one of the best academy prospects. Listen to Craig Gordon speak about him. About his talent. About his left foot. You will get the idea. Paul Hartley would tip him to make a strong impact. He said: "A terrific midfielder with a great left foot".

He wasn't sure he would be involved against Hibs, however.

"There were maybe four or five of us, me, Graham Weir, Joe Hamill, Robert Soan, all in about it," Janczyk recalled. "You never quite knew if you were going to be involved because it would be a couple of you at a time and very rarely would it be all of us involved.

"Levein was great with us, brilliant the way he would put you in and take you out. You always had to work hard in what I think was the under-21s at the time. He would always keep you on your toes, you would always have to work hard to be involved with the first team.

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"I wasn’t quite sure if I was going to be on the bench or not that day. We would have had a 21s game on the Monday before that so it was do well in the lead up to it and hope you would get the nod to be on the bench.

"He was always good with me. He would never be feared to throw you in against the big times. Most of the time Graham Weir would play against the Old Firm because he knew he would work his baws off up front on his own and stuff like that."

He added: "When you were on the bench for a game like that you were obviously buzzing."

While Paul McMullan started at left wing-back, Weir and Janczyk were on the bench. It was therefore ensuring he was ready to go on and make an impact when needed. With the team trailing at half-time, the midfielder, with his creative talent, knew there was a chance he would be called upon.

He said: "Watching the game and going into the second half I probably thought I would get thrown on because Levein would chuck me on in games where we were needing to get a goal because he knew I had a bit of quality, I could make a pass or make things happen in the middle of the park.

"The longer the game goes on and teams get tired, fresh legs, I was only 19 at the time, going on and being able to get on the ball and get us up the work with things not going that well. I thought around about half-time I was going to come on. It was just about being ready. At half-time, no mucking about, getting yourself ready in case you were getting the shout."

READ MORE: How to prepare for Hearts v Hibs - as told by Edinburgh derby veterans

And when the shout came...

"Levein just said ‘go and do what you do. You’ve been around the first-team plenty so just go do what you do in the 21s, get on the ball and make things happen’", Janczyk remembered.

"Around about that time, I wouldn’t be thinking about being feared of giving the ball away. I was just a young boy at the time, I just wanted to go on, do well and try to get something out of the game for the team. Obviously we were 1-0 down so it was a case of hoping to help the team get a draw. But..."

Hearts fans, having just seen the team equalise late on when it looked like they would be going home empty-handed, were in fine voice. They belted out a question of whether they could hear the home support. Seconds earlier Sandy Clark - who had given Valois man of the match in the 5-1 derby before De Vries scored his third and fourth - had awarded the man of the match award to Hibs centre-back Yannick Zambernardi. 

Then came the European song. The away support had just finished singing about Hibs being in 'Portobelly' when they transitioned into 'Hearts, Hearts Glorious Hearts'. 

On the field, Alan Maybury had taken a throw up the line, ignoring the central offering of Janczyk. The ball came back to the Irishman and this time he didn't ignore his colleague, shifting it inside. 

Then it happened.

"I would always go show for throw-ins and bounce things and try to play around the corner," Janczyk explained. "The way it worked out, it has worked out ideally. Me and Weiry played all the time, 18s, 21s and then into the first team so he knew what I was going to do. I’ve played it around the corner, followed the pass and Stampy’s made the run."

Watching it back - whether it is your first time in years, months or days - it happens in a flash. Janczyk zips it into Stamp. The Englishman fires it into Weir. The striker prods it back to Janczyk who then caresses it into the path of Stamp. 

Left foot. Goal. Bedlam in the away end.

Janczyk said: "The scenes after it… You've got Twads [Kevin Twaddle] halfway up the stand and then you have Stampy getting sent off."

Even now, there is something of an understatement from the player himself about his role in the win but also the understanding of just how big and important his involvement was.

"It was just good to be involved in the two goals and get the win," he said. "Really good.

"At that time I didn’t take much of it in. I was only 19 and at that time you think there are going to be moments like that for the rest of your career but it never turned out to be.

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"Looking back on it now, the clip comes up on Twitter or whatever every derby and I’ve got loads of my Hearts pals who will send me it. It is good to look back on, it was the biggest moment in my career. It was a good time."

After the game it was back to Mayfield with Twaddle to see pals before heading down to Easthouses club to see his dad "but nothing too mad... It was a Sunday."

And, looking back now, is there a favourite assist?

"It would probably be Stampy’s but the ball for McKenna’s was class," he admitted. "I just liked the build-up for Stampy’s and for it to be the winning goal was unbelievable."

Now, it's time to set the record straight, once and for all.

When Heart of Midlothian snatched victory from the jaws of defeat at Easter Road on a Sunday in November, 2002, it wasn't the Phil Stamp Derby. It was the Janczyk Derby.