Hearts wrong to blame John Beaton for Scottish Cup semi-final defeat - they had a big chance and blew it

The statement that Hearts released on Monday afternoon ran to 482 words - but that doesn’t mean there was much substance to it.

The Tynecastle club are clearly still reeling from the weekend’s 2-1 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Aberdeen and in particular the red card handed out to Cammy Devlin late in extra-time that saw them reduced to nine men. Devlin was given his marching orders in the 116th minute following a second yellow card and Oday Dabbagh poked home the Dons’ winner two minutes later.

In his post-match interview, Neil Critchley was heavily critical of referee John Beaton’s decision to flash another yellow card and then red at Devlin. “Wow, wow, it was incredible, absolutely incredible,” said the Hearts manager.

Hearts defender Michael Steinwender is shown a straight red card by referee John Beaton during the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Aberdeen at Hampden. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon wasn’t pleased either. “Everybody feels a bit let down by that one,” he said at full-time with reference to Devlin’s second booking for catching the foot of Dante Polvara near the edge of the penalty area. “The referee feels it was a yellow card, we obviously don’t.”

And then came Monday’s statement. The most pertinent line read: “It is the club’s view that neither yellow card issued to Cammy Devlin in the match was warranted and we should not have been put in the position of having to finish the game with nine men, which directly affected the outcome.”

But while officials at Hearts have said they will “engage” with the Scottish FA to seek an explanation for Beaton’s decisions, there are others who watched Saturday’s action unfold at Hampden and wondered how it took as long as 116 minutes for Devlin to see red.

The little Australian midfielder was snapping away at Aberdeen players all afternoon. That’s his game - harrying the opposition, knocking them off their stride and trying to break up play - and he’s pretty good at it. But that kind of combative performance comes with risks and there were several occasions when Devlin caught (or should have caught) Beaton’s attention.

Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin is shown a second yellow card by referee John Beaton during the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Aberdeen at Hampden. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

When Devlin fouled Alexander Jensen and then gave the Dane a two-handed push just after the half-hour mark, BBC commentator Liam McLeod noted that the Hearts player “likes to play on the edge”. He then stopped a Shayden Morris breakaway with a foul shortly before half-time and remonstrated with Beaton over the decision.

There was another foul on Jensen and a two-handed shove of Leighton Clarkson near the touchline before he received his first yellow card for trodding on Pape Gueye’s ankle - a needless foul in the end given that the Dons’ attack had been flagged offside.

Devlin pulled Mats Knoester by his shirt during a stop in play on 115 minutes and the Aberdeen defender was subsequently booked for squaring up to the Aussie. Devlin escaped on that occasion but was shown his second yellow card moments later when he tried to clear the ball but swiped Polvara instead. It is perhaps telling that Devlin made no complaints when Beaton brought out the red card. As soon as it was brandished, the midfielder headed for the tunnel.

Hearts’ statement on Monday went on to point out that the club have been the victims of several poor refereeing decisions across this season and insisted that they will pursue Saturday’s outcome with the SFA because their supporters “deserve better”.

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley during the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Aberdeen at Hampden. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

As there always is when clubs release these kinds of statements, there appeared to be an element of playing to the gallery. But perhaps the statement was also a deflection tactic, to take the heat off a manager who is still desperately searching for a signature win and whose next task is to prevent his team getting dragged into a relegation battle in the William Hill Premiership.

Critchley was widely praised at the weekend for the way Hearts hung in against the Dons and so very nearly took the semi-final to a penalty shootout. But surely there is an argument that it was a missed opportunity. Hearts had a big chance to reach the Scottish Cup final and try to finish a difficult season on a high, and ultimately they blew it.

Michael Steinwender had been the first player to see red. The Austrian defender was dismissed on 44 minutes for a last-man tackle on Aberdeen winger Topi Keskinen, who was sprinting through on goal when he was chopped down.

Critchely wasn’t happy with that red card either and criticised Beaton for dismissing Steinwender so swiftly. “I’ve never seen a referee get a red card out quicker in my entire life,” he said. But maybe Beaton’s response was so emphatic because it was a blatant red-card offence.

Regardless, more important is how Critchley tinkered with his team at half-time in response to the numerical disadvantage. He took off two strikers in James Wilson and Elton Kabangu and replaced them with defenders Frankie Kent and Craig Halkett. Add in the fact that goalkeeper Gordon seemed intent on running the clock down from the moment the second half started, and there was a clear impression that Hearts were playing for penalties from very early on.

Yes, Critchely’s side were down to ten men but it wasn’t Paris Saint-Germain they were up against. It was an Aberdeen team who were clearly off the pace and struggling to create many meaningful chances. It was an Aberdeen team who have been suspect defensively for much of the season and who had conceded six goals on their last visit to the national stadium. It was an Aberdeen team who had a goalkeeper, in Dimitar Mitov, who was just back from injury and looked very nervous between the sticks. And it was an Aberdeen team who just six days previously had thrown away a two-goal lead at home to ten-man Rangers.

Hearts threw men forward when they managed to fashion the odd set-piece opportunity on Saturday but overall they lacked the courage and conviction to attack the game following Steinwender’s dismissal and their hopes of clinging on for penalties were dashed for good when Devlin committed one too many fouls. In that sense, they only have themselves to blame for missing out on a Scottish Cup final appearance and not John Beaton. Not this time anyway.