Temperatures rose during last Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Tynecastle when Hearts manager Derek McInnes confronted the Celtic technical area following Benjamin Nygren’s opening goal. McInnes expressed frustration over the away bench’s enthusiastic response, particularly from one of Martin O’Neill’s staff members.
Details of the Post-Match Apology
McInnes later identified Celtic first-team coach Mark Fotheringham as the individual involved. The Hearts boss described the reaction as surprising and inappropriate, leading to his immediate intervention on the pitchside.
“It was just one of their inexperienced coaches who got a bit carried away,” McInnes stated at the time. Reflecting further, he clarified his annoyance: “I’ve been up against loads of different dugouts over the years and loads of Celtic teams, and I was really annoyed with the reaction. It surprised me and I thought it was out of order.”
Fotheringham, a former Huddersfield manager, reached out to McInnes on Monday afternoon to offer an apology. “In fairness to Mark, he’s not a boy I know too well, but I know people that know him. He’s a great lad, seemingly—but he phoned me to apologise,” McInnes shared. “He said there was no offence meant and, if there was, he said he was sorry for that. I think that says a lot about him, so we move on.”
Focus Shifts to Upcoming Match and Transfers
Hearts now prepare for their clash with Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday night, aiming to extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points. The team recently signed Uganda forward Rogers Mato as their fourth January addition, and he could feature in the lineup.
McInnes remains interested in bolstering the attack before the transfer window closes next week but tempered expectations: “As we sit here now, it looks unlikely at the minute. We’ve hit the bar with a couple, to be honest. We’ve tried to exhaust one or two situations.”
“The club’s still chipping away at it but I’m just trying to be realistic in the sense that we’ve signed four this window that we were delighted to get in. We won’t give up on a fifth but, at this moment in time, it might just seem a bit unlikely,” he added.
Downplaying Title Pressure
With Hearts four points clear of the competition, a win against Dundee United could widen the gap before Rangers and Celtic play on Sunday. However, McInnes dismissed ideas of psychological games: “It just helps that we’ve got another chance to win a game. It shows that we’re not going anywhere and we’re still winning games of football.”
“I’m just really concentrating on making sure we pick the right team and try to get the right performance for the lads. It’s not really about mind games and trying to send out a signal, or this and that. Take care of the game first, win the game, and then how people react to that is up to them,” he emphasized.
