Hearts’ Peter Haring joyful at winning fitness fight for cup final

Hearts' Peter Haring with the William Hill Scottish Cup. Picture: Bill Murray/SNS

While his team-mates have been preoccupied with the business of seeing out a less than memorable end to the league season, Peter Haring has been single-mindedly focused on this Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.

After his groin complaint flared up in the days following the semi-final victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, he feared that he would have to settle for the role of cheerleader as the club looks to end the season with a trophy-winning curtain call at Hampden. But a period of rest and rehabilitation has brought him back to fitness just in time for the showcase fixture.

“I’m fit and ready to go,” he said. “ I was really trying hard to be ready for this game. I was doing everything possible to play in the Scottish Cup final. I’m really happy that I feel quite well and I’m really looking forward to it.

“After the semi-final against Inverness, it was quite sore. It didn’t change for about a week. I was worried and that’s why we tried the injection to see if it would help. Thankfully it did. I didn’t really know if I would make it or not and I told the gaffer and I had to see day by day and week by week if it would get better but thankfully it did and I’m feeling really good at the moment. I’m fully fit.”

But after a six-week lay-off he knows how rigorous the demands will be against a side only one step away from a historic treble treble. But he also grasps the magnitude of the reward at stake and insists that will help him through the opening spell as he battles to get back up to match speed.

“I expect the first 10-15 minutes to be tough for me as well but as the game goes on I’ll feel comfortable again. I’m not too worried about it.”