When It Really Matters, Hearts Are Way Ahead

There’s an old saying that déjà vu isn’t what it used to be. In 2006 when Hearts met Hibernian in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup, the four-week build up to the biggest Edinburgh derby in decades was fraught. One of the worst experiences in football is losing a cup semi-final. To lose one to your city rivals simply didn’t bear thinking about. Moreover, Hearts supporters had taunted their neighbours with the oft-stated statistic that Hibernian had not won the Scottish Cup in over 100 years. They knew that if Hibs won at Hampden, they would be red-hot favourites to break that hoodoo, particularly as Second Division Gretna had upset the odds by defeating Dundee in the other semi-final played the day before. More than 40,000 fans from Scotland’s capital city made their way to Scotland’s national football stadium for the clash of the titans - and Hearts thrashed their city rivals 4-0 with former Hibby Paul Hartley hitting a hat-trick.

Six years later many Hibbies saw the William Hill Scottish Cup Final against their bigger Edinburgh neighbours as a chance for revenge, a feeling this year was their destiny. After all, the wee team’s followers opined, the last time Hibernian won the Scottish Cup - 1902 - was the last time the club had an Irish manager. Now they had Pat Fenlon and history was about to be made. And they were right in that respect - history was made on 19 May 2012.

It was billed as the greatest Edinburgh derby ever. As in 2006, there were sleepless nights aplenty as fans of both clubs contemplated the worst-case scenario - defeat from your greatest rivals in the Scottish Cup Final. Having followed Hearts for more than 40 years, experience tells me never to get even remotely cocky as far as the Maroons are concerned. The mental scars from the events at Dens Park, Dundee in 1986 will, I fear, never disappear. Being eight minutes away from winning your first league title in over a quarter of a century - needing just a single point from your final game and having been unbeaten in seven months - one could smell the scent of glory, only for Albert Kidd to kick it away from the maroon hordes in the cruellest of fashions. The Scottish Cup wins of 1998 and 2006 have helped fade those scars but those of us who stood motionless on the Dens Park terracing that day at approximately 4.40pm can never forget.

Thankfully, the younger generation of Hearts supporters have not had to suffer such acute heartache. Tee shirts declaring ’Keep Calm - It’s Only Hibs’ were selling well in the build up to the big game and there was no shortage of young ’uns read to tell me ’don’t worry, auld fella - we’ll skoosh it‘. As things transpired they were right - Hearts demolished Hibernian 5-1 in one of the most one-sided cup finals I can remember. Two goals from Czech Republic talisman Rudi Skacel added to goals from Darren Barr, Ryan McGowan and a penalty from Danny Grainger took Hearts dominance over their Edinburgh rivals to a new level and utterly humiliated the devastated Hibees. Hearts third Scottish Cup triumph in 14 years saw the maroon half of Edinburgh party - while the Hibs fans retired to their beds, some having left the National Stadium as early as 3.30pm when Skacel put Hearts two goals ahead.

Those tee shirts were spot on - I needn’t have worried, it was only Hibs. Yet, strangely, I almost felt cheated as if Hibs total ineptitude had let me down too. By that, I mean the elation of the full time whistle blowing and the realisation that Hearts had won the cup had been doused slightly by the fact the game was all over after less than an hour, by which time Hearts were already 4-1 ahead and Hibs a man down (even if that man was Pa Kujabi, an apology for a football player even by Hibs standards) Against Rangers in 1998 and Gretna in 2006, Hearts had been taken to the wire. My heart was in my mouth at Celtic Park 14 years ago when it looked like Rangers were about to get a last minute penalty kick to level the scores - only for referee Willie Young to award a free-kick on the edge of the penalty box. And eight years later, I watched Hearts penalty shoot-out triumph over Second Division Gretna with fingers partly covering my eyes. The tension on both occasions was unbearable. Not so this time around as Hearts demolished their capital city rivals in a fashion that is fast becoming a custom. Hearts New Year win at Easter Road, for example, was 3-1 going on 6-1.

The downside for Hearts was the departure of midfield maestro Ian Black, Stephen Elliott and Gary Glen and the uncertainty over the future of Skacel, Andrew Driver, Suso Santana and even the manager Paulo Sergio. However, Hearts fans have seen all this before. It didn’t take long for the cup winning teams of 1998 and 2006 to break up and Hearts came back each time. They will do so again, of that I’m sure.

For now, let’s just savour the biggest Edinburgh derby triumph of all time. Hibs may have won league games of little importance by 7-0 in 1973 and 6-2 in 2002 but Hearts have proved, yet again, when it comes to the big games that really matter, they are a class above the little club with two stands too many from Leith.