Hearts will wrap up their Premiership season away at Kilmarnock on Sunday afternoon as attentions turn to next season. Derek McInnes is poised to officially leave his role as Killie boss to become gaffer in Gorgie, with terms agreed between the clubs. He and his coaching staff will not be in the dugout for the game at Rugby Park where all Hearts can do is finish top of the bottom six after a tough campaign. There’s still plenty going on with other Hearts-themed stories, including one former star’s Derby County exit, a promotion party for a young talent and the bones of McInnes’ parting message to Kilmarnock players. Here are some of the latest headlines with maroon flavourings. Conor Washington has been released by the Rams at the end of their English Championship campaign. He joined Derby County in 2023 but has bee restricted to 22 outings. Washington featured the same amount times for Hearts between 2019-2020 with four goals in maroon opposed to three in white. A club statement reads: “Derby County has confirmed its retained list following the conclusion of the 2024/25 Sky Bet Championship season earlier this month. Four members of the 2023/24 League One promotion-winning squad are to move on - in the form of forward Tom Barkhuizen, defender Sonny Bradley, midfielder Tyrese Fornah and striker Conor Washington. All departing players will leave with the club’s very best wishes for the future, alongside its thanks for their efforts.” Goalkeeper Liam McFarlane has helped East Fife back into League One as they came out victorious in the play-off final for that division against Annan Athletic. A 3-2 win followed by a 1-1 draw was enough for the Bayview side to go up under the guidance of Dick Campbell, with McFarlane’s performance in a loan away from Hearts being met with praise this campaign. Campbell said post match: “We’ve proven we’re a good side and we’re up, no matter what. I thought we deserved to win the game, I thought we edged it. But I’m not really bothered what anybody thinks! I’m more interested in winning that game for everybody connected to East Fife. There were hundreds of fans down here, it’s fantastic. Whether that’s the rebirth of East Fife, I don’t know. This is a step forward for the club.” David Watson had already revealed some of the messaging from McInnes to the Kilmarnock players before Sunday’s game, and now striker Bruce Anderson has revealed that the gaffer has left the door open for them whenever they need him. He said: “I think it would have been difficult to play under those conditions. It would have been hard to get that out of your mind, knowing he's going to the team we're playing. When Sunday comes it's probably for the best we focus on ourselves and not on anything else. We can't really focus too much on who's going to be in the dugout. But the manager always put Kilmarnock first. He wants the best for the club. He decided he wanted to do the two games but it's not to be. "When he told us he was leaving we were all thankful for what he's done for us. We'd seen the speculation in the last couple of weeks anyway so it maybe wasn't a shock. He told us he'd enjoyed working with every one of us and he's got a special relationship with every one of us too. He said he's just a phone call away and if we need any help with anything he's always there. I know a lot of the boys will take that on board. When a manager leaves it's always going to be emotional but it's part of the game. It's about how you react. We've got to try and put on a performance because the fans deserve that. They have been brilliant all season."