He's been in Scotland less than a year, and Edinburgh for a mere few months, but it didn't take Junior Hoilett long to understand the significance of what will unfold at Easter Road this weekend.

Even without Hibs and Hearts propping up the Premiership table, these fixtures generate a level of hype and pressure that could easily feel overwhelming. Drop the current context into the mix, however, and the pre-match temperature strays dangerously close to boiling point. Hoilett has sampled Cardiff City vs Swansea City, and Blackburn Rovers vs Burnley through his long years in English football, but he's perhaps never quite come across a rivalry as all-encompassing as this one.

Still, though, you'd expect the 34-year-old to remain among the calmest customers in Leith come Sunday's 12pm kick-off. But don't let his unhurried style and cheery demeanour fool you into thinking Hoilett doesn't appreciate the seriousness of Hibs vs Hearts - he's been all-too aware, almost from the moment he set foot in the capital.

"I was only at Aberdeen for a few months so I didn't really get to experience something like that," said the Canada international. "But coming here and everybody talking about it, you can tell how much it means for the club, for the fans, and for the city. I'm looking forward to it and I can't wait to go out there. I know a few fans come up to say it's an important one to win and to be a part of. In that sense [it's different to other games], yes, for the fans. But as a group here, we've been preparing ourselves right and everybody's looking forward to it. 

"Especially coming to the later end of my career, it's good to be a part of.  You don't take these for granted. It's a bonus to be a part of it and to go out there and enjoy it. There's not many games like this in this atmosphere that I might not be a part of. That's why I'm just looking forward to it and being positive and can't wait for the game to kick off."

The well-worn pre-match thread when these games beckon is the potential for it to overwhelm, for grown men to be reduced to quivering wrecks at the thought of the ball flitting in their general direction. Asked about this, though, Hoilett takes things in a different direction, and his experience appears to be derbies being unifying, not fear-inducing, events for team-mates. He certainly expects more intensity from, especially with an expectant Easter Road crowd at their back, without overburdening themselves with the pressure of the occasion.

"It brings the team more together. Everybody wants to obviously play their best performance, not only for the team but for themselves and for the fans' sake. I think it brings everybody to their highest ability to perform and brings the passion out of everybody. The intensity level is much higher in a derby match, especially on your home field, you have your fans on your side and the extra boost does bring an extra intensity into the game.

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"For me, personally I just take it as another game. I go out and play my game and stick to my game plan. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself or the team to switch something up. I go into the game, same routine before the game and go out and try to give 100% for myself and for the team's sake.

"To get that win, it could lift not only the team, but for the fans and the city. It could bring us extra confidence going into other games following it. It's an important game for us and for the fans to kick-start our season and push us in the right direction. It's an important one to go out there and show what we're capable of."