Supporters of Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian rightly bridle at the suggestion they are provincial clubs in Scottish terms. It is only on days such as today that the country’s capital outfits are afforded an opportunity to show that Glasgow is not the epicentre of football north of the border.

The days when an Edinburgh derby crowd would dwarf that of its Old Firm equivalent may be long gone, but the intensity within Auld Reekie remains. For the record, 65,840 trooped along to Easter Road on January 2, 1950 while 48,000 had been at Tynecastle a year earlier. Those who argue the encounter between Rangers and Celtic has always been the most eagerly anticipated in the calendar show an unfair lack of regard for historical accuracy.

The “Sold Out” signs are up at Tynecastle again, yet only 18,000 spectators will head to Edinburgh’s west end for the first derby of the campaign. Hearts and Hibs may have fallen from grace in the last five decades but their followers covet victory in this game more than any other.

“For me, the Edinburgh derby game is just the business,” Gary Mackay, Hearts’ record appearance holder, said with typical succinctness. “I have bad memories of it when growing up as a supporter in the 1970s, when Hibs did so well in the game, but since then I have great memories as a player and great memories as a supporter.”

Pat Stanton was among Mackay’s tormentors in his youth, the legendary Hibs player still a regular at their matches. Like Mackay, Stanton has never had a desire to underplay meetings between the capital city’s adversaries. “As I player, I always thought you had to start getting mentally ready to face Hearts on the Wednesday or Thursday before the game,” Stanton said. “It was no use trying to key yourself up five minutes before kick-off.

“I am an Edinburgh boy, grew up a Hibs supporter, so this was always the biggest occasion for me. I have played in Old Firm matches as well and, while they are obviously intense, the Edinburgh derby had a notable difference. They were also generally close matches. What I also remember is the disappointments, and often those disappointments would come when you least expected them.”

The occasion and rivalry in Edinburgh remains distinctly different from the Glasgow equivalent. Albeit hardly resembling a meeting of the Temperance Society, supporters will frequently mingle before and after the match and, while recent nastiness has proved an unedifying feature to older generations, generally the matches will pass without trouble.

“Mixed” families with Hearts and Hibs supporting members are common. “I had and have a lot of friends who are Hearts fans and we would always meet up after the derby,” Stanton said. “I think there is a realisation that it is only a game, if one that we desperately want to win.

“There are some people who take things too far and sometimes it is that which grabs the headlines but we would always go for a drink together, no matter who won.”

The clubs themselves have worked closely over the past two months, ensuring what should be a fitting backdrop to Remembrance weekend. Players from both clubs, Hearts more significantly, along with Falkirk and Raith Rovers formed a part of McCrae’s Battalion during the First World War.

Players of Hearts and Hibs will wear commemorative strips today, collections will be held outside the stadium for the Erskine, a charity for former servicemen. Tickets have also been distributed to active soldiers for both sections of Tynecastle with the armed forces members due to parade on the pitch at half-time.

Pilmar Smith, once the right-hand man of the late Hearts chairman, Wallace Mercer, has attended Edinburgh derby matches for six decades. “You can talk about cup finals, winning leagues or whatever, but in Edinburgh it is all about Hearts versus Hibs,” Smith said. “When Wallace was in charge, we used to offer extra bonuses for beating Hibs and I would drum into the players how important this game was.”

Smith’s fondest memories involve Alfie Conn, nicknamed the “Hammer of Hibs” swinging from the crossbar at Easter Road in celebration of a New Year derby winner some 50 years ago. “Hibs had some fine teams, they had the Famous Five, the likes of Gordon Smith in their team, but they couldn’t beat Hearts,” he said.

The low-point for Pilmar and his fellow Hearts fans came in 1973, a 7-0 home drubbing by their city rivals — and one that they have never quite lived down.

“It has never been a nasty game,” the former Hearts director said. “Segregation in Scotland came about because of the Old Firm; until that point we would stand at derby matches with our pals who supported Hibs and always have a drink together. There was a great atmosphere presegregation but it is still nowhere near as nasty as the Old Firm.”

Today, Edinburgh has the chance to reinforce its own football spectacle.