IF all this can go down when you are only clinching a quarter final tie against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, it really should be quite a party on the day Hibs finally end their 114-year Scottish Cup hoodoo. That moment could yet arrive this May, after Alan Stubbs' side kept their improbable pursuit of a treble intact with a deserved, if typically fraught, victory in this replay against their capital rivals. A third minute goal from Jason Cummings gave them a lead which they never lost hold of, even if this was a match which saw both sides reduced to ten men in the space of two second half minutes for throwing the ball away. First Hearts defender Blazej Augustyn was dismissed for doing so in disgust at the award of a free-kick, then goal hero Cummings blotted his copybook by foolishly attempting to time waste.
With a blackout in TV coverage due to a clash with Champions League football, the great and the good of Scottish football crammed into Easter Road to witness the closest thing our game currently has to offer. And it didn't disappoint, even if the Scottish TV viewer was prevented from seeing it due to a clash with a supposedly exalted level of European play which our teams face the prospect of being banned from forever.
Roy Keane and Leigh Griffiths were two celebrity visitors for this eagerly awaited second helping of this Auld Reekie grudge match, an eventuality required after a last minute goal from Paul Hanlon on the first meeting between these teams nine days ago. The Republic of Ireland assistant - presumably checking out the form of Anthony Stokes ahead of Euro 2016 - and the Celtic striker, a dyed in the wool Hibee, saw Alan Stubbs having to contend without injured midfield duo Fraser Fyvie and Dylan McGeouch as he endeavoured to keep his team's hopes of an unlikely treble on course. This Hibs team, of course, lug around an 114-year curse in this competition, not to mention the more recent humiliation of a 5-1 final reverse to their rivals.
The Easter Road side have won this match-up four times since then, including once in the Scottish Cup, but those were details: this was a titanic night in the re-birth of this football team. They were going in against a tough Hearts outfit under Robbie Neilson, who sat a league above them and also had the benefit of a free weekend. While Hibs were stumbling to an underwhelming, snow-bound goalless draw at Livingston, the Tynecastle side were sitting with their feet up after their meeting with Partick Thistle was postponed.
While Hibs had struck late in the first match, here they did the damage early. With the energy and athleticism of Marvin Bartley, a favourite of current Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe during his past life at Burnley, a real feature of the opening stages, the Englishman funnelled the ball wide to right back David Gray, who levered a typically accurate cross into the middle. Jason Cummings reacted quickest to guide the ball beyond Neil Alexander. The former Hearts youth team player, who signed for Hibs following a stint combining gardening with playing for local boys club side Hutchison Vale, marked the moment by standing just beyond the touchline at the away end in celebration, as a number of its inhabitants screamed invective at him. He earned a booking for the trouble.
Hibs were threatening to kill this match off before it got started. They thought they might have had a penalty when Augustyn appeared to block off Darren McGregor, before Cummings was unable to capitalise when presented with an even easier chance than the one he had just scored. Sensing Hearts skipper for the night Callum Paterson was out of position, Anthony Stokes used that space to find Liam Henderson, who prodded it into space for Cummings, only for the prolific striker to hesitate and allow Alexander to stick a leg out and clear as he attempted to round him.
This was harum scarum stuff but so far Mr Beaton was doing a better job than some of his officiating colleagues in keeping a low profile. He took an eternity to disallow Abiola Dauda's headed finish from a Jordan McGhee cross, but that was shown to be the correct decision. Stokes stung the palms of Alexander with a low shot, after a turn which left Augustyn on his backside, but Hibs more than deserved their half time lead.
The visitors re-emerged with renewed purpose and passion, with skipper Paterson leading the charge. Igor Rossi could only find the sidenet from one fine cross from the right back, then Juanma bizarrely tried to use a hand to finish from close range from another great cross. A third fine delivery led to Hearts' second disallowed goal of the game, Juanma adjudged to be offside when he barged the ball in from close range.
Unfortunately Mr Beaton's hopes of remaining incognito could not last forever. With just 20 players remaining, substitute James Keatings might have made the game safe late on, but it wasn't long before the strains of Sunshine on Leith rang around this ground.
Hibernian 1
Cummings 3
Hearts 0
Hibernian: Oxley; Gray, McGregor, Hanlon, Stevenson; Bartley; Thomson (Carmichael 69), McGinn; Henderson (Boyle 87); Stokes, Cummings.
Subs not used: Virtanen, Fontaine, Gunnarsson, Dagnall
Hearts: Alexander; Paterson, McGhee, Augustyn, Rossi (Souttar 80); Cowie, Djoum, Pallardo (Nicholson 58), Walker (Zanatta 85); Dauda, Juanma.
Subs not used: Hamilton, Oshaniwa, Reilly, Beith
Booked: Hibs: Cummings 4, Bartley 45, Thomson 59, Hanlon 63, Oxley 67. Hearts: Augustyn 22, 75, Pallardo 39, Juanma 78, Dauda 90+5. Sent off: Hearts: Augustyn 75. Hibs: Cummings 78.
Referee: J Beaton
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