Preview Of Hibs V Hearts Round Two

Our enigmatic freelancer (!) Mr Ken Fruish has very kindly opted to give us a little preview of Sunday’s big match at Easter Road…here’s his take on what is bound to be another frantic 90 minutes….



Bring it on!

A number of factors will decide Sunday`s much-anticipated cup tie between Hearts and Hibs. Let’s take a look at some of them….

Last Saturday’s dress rehearsal didn`t quite get going. Even though Hibs had four forwards on the pitch they played a tight formation, with their plan obviously not to leak four goals as they had done the previous week to Jim Jefferies’ Kilmarnock. Hearts by contrast played with only Nade up front from the start and had most of the possession, created a few chances but were ultimately unable to take them. Stalemate.

Which players can make a difference to the game on Sunday? Hibs played their new signing Jonatan Johansson last Saturday but he looked a yard off the pace and one week’s extra training is unlikely to get him match fit. The Hibs marketing department have been busy though – Johansson has ‘JJ’ written on the back of his shirt – a typical Hibs act. Anybody remember ‘Benji’?! Can you ever imagine the hammer of Hibs, John Robertson, playing with ‘Robbo’ on his shirt?

For Hearts, Calum Elliot has returned from his loan spell at Livingston and may come into the squad, but can he be the new Wayne Foster?

Both sides will have players missing: Zaliukas for Hearts due to suspension and Jones for Hibs due to injury. Let’s look more closely at the reason for Zaliukas` absence. The SFA has a unique way of raising money -the Zaliukas dismissal at Aberdeen by Ian Brines was not justified and the subsequent appeal in which Brines reviewed his own decision ridiculous. I think it would be fair to say that the SFA’s fund-raising policy of ever-increasing fines on Hearts would even embarrass Dick Turpin.

Still, in true ‘stand and deliver’ fashion, the timing of the game (12:15pm on a Sunday) will prove the bottle of the Hibs players and their supporters. In case they have tried to forget the four-nil Sunday semi-final defeat at Hampden in 2006, I am sure text messages will have been sent to their inboxes reminding them of the agony they suffered that day on an extremely regular basis from their greater-informed (Hearts-supporting) buddies!

History has a habit of repeating itself and ominously for Hibs in the seven Scottish cup ties played at Easter Road between the sides, Hearts have won five to Hibs’ two. Even in the 1950s when Hibs had their ‘famous five’ it was Hearts who came out on top, helped in no small way by their equivalent of that legendary group.

Sadly the last member of the ‘terrible trio’ Alfie Conn has just passed away and in his time at Hearts he scored over 200 goals in 408 appearances. There would be no more fitting tribute than Hearts putting a few goals past Ma kalambay on Sunday.

I’m quite sure that Hibs will have more forwards on the pitch when the action starts on Sunday, but Hearts’ more balanced team will come out on top. The scorers for Hearts last time we played in the cup in Leith were John Robertson and Wayne Foster. We have a couple of vacancies for new cup heroes if anyone in the squad is up for it?!

Will Hibs’ quest for their holy grail the Scottish Cup get off to a winning start this season? Sadly for them i don’t think so. Just like the musical ‘Sunshine on Leith` featuring the music of The Proclaimers which ended last weekend, Hibs’ cup dream ends on a Sunday….