On Saturday, December 20th, Heart of Midlothian faces Celtic in the Scottish Cup final – a repeat of last year’s fixture. The competition was thrown into turmoil earlier this year, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and the semi-finals only recently took place behind closed doors at Hampden Park. The final was set to take place at the iconic Glasgow stadium on May 9th, but was quickly rescheduled to late December.
While the latest FA Cup odds favor Celtic, who are looking at a potential 40th Scottish Cup win, they’re on a torrid run, both domestically and in Europe, and Hearts must surely fancy their chances of springing an upset.
Hearts have won the Scottish Cup eight times, and been runners-up on seven occasions – the most recent being last year. So, let’s take a look back at some of their most recent finals.
2018-19: Hearts 1-2 Celtic
The 2019 Scottish Cup final saw Hearts face the reigning champions Celtic at Hampden Park. It was the fourth time the two sides had met in the cup final, with Hearts winning two out of their three meetings prior to this encounter. After a goalless first half, it was in fact Craig Levein’s side that went ahead, through Ryan Edwards’ left-footed strike. But Celtic hit back and was awarded a penalty after the hour mark when Odsonne Édouard was fouled by Hearts goalkeeper Zden?k Zlámal. Édouard got back on his feet to slot the ball home from 12 yards out, and he got his – and Celtic’s – second of the afternoon late on. Heartache for The Jambos who lost their seventh Scottish Cup final. But glory for Celtic, winning their third title consecutively, and handing Neil Lennon the permanent job, having done the League/Cup double.
2011-12: Hibernian 1-5 Hearts
The 2012 final was an Edinburgh Derby and the first time that Hibs and Hearts had met at this stage of the tournament since 1896! But bearing in mind there was added pressure at stake between these two long-standing rivals, Hearts put in a truly dominant performance to run out worthy winners. It proved a frantic encounter, with five goals scored in 50 minutes. The Jambos went ahead through Darren Barr, before doubling their advantage through Rudi Skacel’s deflected shot. Hibs pulled a goal back before halftime, but Hearts regained their two-goal advantage early in the second half. Hibs’ defender Pa Kajubi received his marching orders, and consequently, Hearts were awarded a penalty – which Danny Grainger duly put away. Ryan McGowan added a fourth on 50 minutes, and Skacel got his brace with 15 minutes of the match remaining, to complete the rout.
2005-06: Hearts 1-1 Gretna (AET) – Hearts win 4-2 on penalties
There was a huge shock in 2006, when Gretna became the first team from the Scottish third tier to reach a Scottish Cup final – and they had only been admitted into the Football League four years previous. This one went the distance, after the scores being level after 90 minutes, and still nothing to separate the two sides after extra time. Once again, Hearts went ahead in a final, after Skacel tucked away from close range towards the end of the first half. But Gretna levelled to keep their fairytale alive, after Ryan McGuffie was quickest to pounce on his rebounded penalty kick. There was added tension deep into extra time, when Hearts’ main penalty taker, Paul Hartley received a second yellow card of the game – but it wasn’t to be for the Second Division side. The Jambos scored all four of their penalties, while Gretna missed two to deny the seven-time winners a scare.
