Well, it was certainly not a classic. This boisterous, bruising, battering bout was so agricultural at times, it could have won a rosette at the Royal Highland Show along the road at Ingliston.
Goodness knows what Ian Cathro’s laptop made of it. It’s probably been infected with a crippling virus.
“I’m somebody who loves football, I think we could have played more of it,” said the Hearts manager of a full-bloodied tussle that may have lacked finesse but certainly wasn’t devoid of jaw-shuddering commitment and rolled-up-sleeves endeavour.
The increasingly rutted Tynecastle turf, which looked like it had just hosted the Gorgie & District Divot Forging Championship, didn’t aid the promotion of flowing football. Indeed, with bodies flying about all over the parish, the terrain and the scene that unfolded was more in-keeping with a medieval battlefield.
Read more: Lennon hails Hibernian resolve as Hearts are held in Edinburgh derby
It took Hibernian 114 years to win the Scottish Cup and they are certainly not going to have their hands prised off the cherished old trophy without an almighty fight. In these rabid, raucous Capital clashes, the Easter Road side are now unbeaten in the last six meetings between the teams.
It was also their 10th match unbeaten in all competitions and the leaders of the Scottish Championship will fancy their chances in the replay with their old city rivals. A year ago in this same competition, Hibernian salvaged a late draw away to Hearts and beat them in their own backyard en route to that historic cup triumph.
Perhaps history will repeat itself when the two cross swords again on February 22? On the basis of this spirited, robust performance, Hibernian have nothing to fear. Hearts, meanwhile, will have to be at their best if they are to earn the local bragging rights.
There was plenty of goading, fist shaking and chest-pounding posturing prior to kick-off. And that was just in the queue for pre-match finger buffet in the press room.
In boasting reference to last year’s cup encounter when Hearts let a 2-0 advantage slip in the last 10 minutes and then lost the replay, the Hibernian fans unfurled a banner with the words ‘Two nil up, you f***** it up, the Hibs went on to win the up’. Presumably, there are bairns in Leith getting taught this jaunty little nursery rhyme instead of Hickory Dickory Dock or the Grand Old Duke of York.
Neil Lennon, the Hibernian manager, made five changes to the side which was held to a draw at home by Ayr United on league duty last weekend and the addition of more physical players like Jordan Forster and Marvin Bartley was testament to the more up-and-at-‘em approach that the visitors would need to adopt.
The general fever and frenzy led to a predictably fraught opening. Hearts did fashion a tidy move barely two minutes in which saw Esmael Goncalves surging in on a goal but Ofir Marciano, the Hibernian keeper, raced from his line and produced a fine block. At the other end, Grant Holt came close with a jab at the near post but apart from that it was very much crash, bang, wallop stuff as proceedings unravelled with all the poise of the Keystone Cops at a ceilidh dance.
Read more: Lennon hails Hibernian resolve as Hearts are held in Edinburgh derby
While most folk were careering about in a boisterous haste, the calm, elegant stridings of Hearts’s Alexandros Tziolis in the midfield holding role was somewhat at odds with the general melee but even he would eventually suffer in the treacherous surroundings.
Opportunities were few and far between but it was the visitors who almost edged ahead as half-time loomed. Jason Cummings curled in a shot that Jack Hamilton parried onto the body of the on-rushing Holt. Fortunately for the Hearts keeper, the ricochet went in his favour and he managed to smother the ball at the second time of asking as it bobbled about menacingly.
There was no let-up in the frantic nature of affairs after the resumption. The PA announcer had urged all sundry to “make some noise” as the players re-emerged but, while there was plenty of that, he may have been better off requesting if there was any chance of playing some football?
Hearts certainly began the second period with gusto and it was the Hibernian custodian Marciano who once again came to his side’s rescue. Bjorn Johnsen, who had been dropped to the bench in a tactical re-jigging, was unleashed after the break and within a few minutes almost made a telling breakthrough as his close range poke was thwarted by the outstretched leg of Marciano before Darren McGregor got his bulk in the way of Jamie Walker’s follow up.
The fare on offer was still decidedly stodgy but the super atmosphere inside the stadium still crackled, fizzed and sparked like an explosion at the National Grid as both sets of supporters barked and bawled their lungs dry.
It was the green and white hordes who almost had cause for a joyous roar on 76 minutes when Cummings ploughed a lone furrow into the Hearts area and held play up until the cavalry tried to get there. He whipped a pass across the face of the goal but it was just too far ahead of the sliding Holt and he could only prod it wide.
It was the last chance in a match of limited chances. Both sides still have another chance of glory, though.
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