As a former Hearts player, Gordon Smith took great delight in watching his son smash his first goal for the club in the derby showdown with Hibs.

Young Gordon started his first game for the Jambos yesterday and opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw with a memorable strike on half-time and there wasn't a prouder man inside Easter Road than his father.

"I just couldn't believe it," said dad, who played 15 games (two goals) for the Edinburgh club in three seasons after being signed by John Hagart in January 1976.

"I also had £10 on him at 8-1 to score the first goal so it was a successfull day all round! It would have been even better had it been the winner but it was great for him just to score on his first start."

Yesterday's derby hero laughed afterwards that his Hibs-supporting parents were forced to watch the game from the away end at Easter Road.

His two tickets for the match were for the sold-out south stand which housed the Hearts supporters but dad Gordon revealed to Hearts News that he was as jubilant as the thousands of Jambos packed behind the goal when the deadlock was broken in such spectacular style.

"I was standing in the away end and couldn't believe it when the ball hit the back of the net," he said.

"I go to all the games Gordon plays in but it's the first time I've jumped up when Hearts have scored a goal - apart from when I played for the club!"

The latest product of the hugely successful Hearts Football Academy, young gun Gordon actually had high hopes of making it at Easter Road, as his father explained.

"He played for Hibs for three years. He was a goal-scoring midfielder for them and I took him down to Newcastle on trial as Glen Roeder had been in touch and wanted to sign him," he added.

"Hibs weren't happy I had done that, took a stance and released him and that's how he ended up at Livingston.

"Hibs had high hopes for him but it's funny how things work out. He's loving it at Hearts and it's has worked out the best for him. He just needs to keep working hard and keep listening to his manager."

Signed originally as a schoolboy with Dundee, Gordon senior arrived at Hearts at the same time as Eammon Bannon and Walter Kidd but his links to the other side of the city came courtesy of his own dad, as he explained.

"My dad was a Hibs fan and named me after the legendary Gordon Smith. My two brothers and two sisters are all Hearts supporters, though, and are all season ticket holders," he said.

"I didn't think about being a Hibs fan and playing for Hearts. I read in the papers the other day that was I Hibs-daft but that wasn't the case. I used to go to the games but to be quite honest, I became a Hearts fan when playing for the club."

Gordon, who runs his own painting and decorating business in Edinburgh, went on to play with Berwick Rangers, Falkirk, Meadowbank Thistle, Partick Thistle and East Fife before managing Junior outfits such as Penicuik, Musselburgh and Broxburn.

His oldest son Kevin is currently on loan at Raith Rovers from Dundee United.

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On Hearts.TV today - goal hero Gordon relives his big moment while captain Michael Stewart reflects on events at Easter Road