Abiola Dauda is eager to make his debut for Scottish side, Heart of Midlothian, after joining in the January transfer window on loan from Vitesse Arnhem.
The 28-year-old Nigerian forward is now primed to play at some stage, or even from the start in the Edinburgh derby when they play hosts to Hibernian in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup at Tynecastle Stadium on Sunday.
It is not the first time that Dauda will play in a derby game, as he recalled featuring in one of the most fierce derby contest while playing for Red Star Belgrade.
The forward, who will wear number 25 till the end of this season with the Jambos, relived his experience of playing in the Eternal Derby for Red Star Belgrade against FK Partizan Belgrade.
He believes that playing in the fiery Belgrade derby has steadied him mentally to adapt in any kind of game.
“A lot of (Red Star Belgrade) fans come to the training pitch and they bring fireworks with them, set them off at the training ground. They make us understand that this is a game for them, that we have to win it for them. We have to respect that. Yeah, it’s scary – quite a few fans would be there, setting off fireworks at the training pitch," Dauda said of his Belgrade derby experience as he prepares for his debut in the Edinburgh derby.
“There would be trouble at the game, fighting and destroying seats. The last time, there was a fire in the stadium and we had to stop the game. The fire was at our stadium, started by Partizan fans because they were losing.
“We won that game 1-0 and that was important for the title. The fans had been at our training ground to make sure we won it! If we lost that derby, yeah, our own supporters would turn on us. I don’t think you could walk the streets for the next few weeks. For sure that’s difficult pressure for a footballer. But it’s about having mental strength.
“The impression they (the fans) give to the players is always: ‘This is for us, you have to do this for us’.”
Dauda has also told supersport.com that he is excited about his new adventure and wants to give his best and lead Hearts to glory.
“Immediately I spoke to the manager I knew I wanted to come here (Hearts) and I’m glad it was able to go through,” he told supersport.com in Edinburgh.
“It’s a new challenge which I am up to. I love scoring goals and that is what I want to do here. I want to make the fans happy and hopefully to win things with Hearts.
“The club has a rich tradition and I want to contribute my own bit to this important club. I hope I get the chance to show what I can do.”
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