What Hearts players are saying about facing Rangers in Scottish Cup semi-finals

The Jambos have not defeated Rangers this season but want to change that at Hampden

Hearts defender Stephen Kingsley is determined to have a happier Hampden experience after being drawn to face Rangers in another semi-final.

A 1-0 win over Morton at Cappielow on Monday set up a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup encounter with Philippe Clement's side in five weeks' time. Hearts lost 3-1 to Rangers in the Viaplay Cup last four earlier this season and were beaten in the 2022 Scottish Cup final by the same opponents.

"We didn’t give the best account of ourselves the last time we played Rangers at Hampden, so we have that inspiration of getting to the final which is the goal for us," Kinglsey said. "The last time was definitely disappointing. I don’t think we were at it. We’ve had a couple of tough results against Rangers. It’s going to be a big occasion for us so we’ll make sure we are ready for it."

Hearts' Kenneth Vargas celebrates with Stephen Kingsley as he scores to make it 1-0 against Morton.

Hearts have lost all four meetings between the sides this season and their recent 5-0 thrashing at Ibrox is their only defeat in 16 matches. “We just need to believe we can put on the performance we are capable of against them," Kingsley said. "I feel we’ve been guilty of not giving a great account of ourselves the last couple of times. The manager talks about small margins and we’ve been on the wrong end of them. We’ve not quite been at the levels we should be.

"Against teams like them, you are going to get punished. So it’s really about taking the belief we have built up over the latter part of this season and putting on a performance we can be proud of. We need to give ourselves the chance to get a foothold in the game and go on to get a positive result. It’s a great occasion for the club and fans. We have to make them proud."

Kingsley scored in the delayed 2020 final against Celtic, which Hearts lost on penalties, and also in the 2022 semi-final win against Hibs. but it is a winners' medal he craves. “I’ve been at Hampden God knows how many times, so I’m hoping we can give our best this time," the 29-year-old said. “It’s my fourth year with Hearts and the previous experiences at Hampden can help. It also just makes you hungrier to go that one step further."