Six derbies in ten years: Hearts, Hibs and the Scottish Cup

Paul Hartley flicks the ball past Zbigniew MaBkowski for the opening goal of the 2006 semi-final. Picture: Donald MacLeod

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Hearts have emerged victorious 14 times to Hibs’ 11, while the teams could not be separated a further eight times, including the first meeting in the cup which finished goalless.

Hibs won 5-1 in 1886. A scoreline Hearts repeated five years ago. In 1912 it took three games to separate the sides, while the highest scoring encounter was Hearts’ 5-3 win in 1881, edging out Hibs’ win by the odd goal in seven in 1958.

For a generation of fans they had to console themselves with stories of past battles without witnessing an Scottish Cup derby. Between a Wayne Foster strike, which cemented his place in Hearts folklore, in 1994 and a semi-final clash in 2006 the teams were never plucked out the draw together.

Similarly, the clubs didn’t face either in the League Cup for 50 years, between 1956 and 2006.

Since 2006 the clubs have faced each other six times in the Scottish Cup (plus twice more in the League Cup). And today, we look back on those clashes.

Hibernian 0 – 4 Heart of Midlothian – semi-final – 02/04/2006

Paul Hanlon equalises late into injury-time at Tynecastle. Picture: Greg Macvean

The first cup meeting in 12 years was for a place in the Scottish Cup final where the victors would be the overwhelming favourites following third-tier Gretna’s defeat of Dundee the previous day.

Hearts were under the stewardship of Vladimir Romanov and all the early promise of a league title had well been extinguished. Under the third manager of the year, Valdas Ivanauskas, there were two aims: finish second and win the Scottish Cup.

At the time Hibs Scottish Cup hoodoo stood at 104 years. Their hopes of ending it were slowly eroding in the build-up. Garry O’Connor was sold to Lokomotiv Moscow, while Tony Mowbray was without Scott Brown, Derek Riordan and Chris Killen through injury.

The positive signs for the Gorgie men increased when they were greeted by a rapturous support, with large swathes of empty seats in the Hibs end.

Hearts also had two other factors in their favour. In Paul Hartley, they had someone who relished playing against his former club and they were facing Zbigniew Małkowski, a goalkeeper who became a de facto 12th man every time he took to the field against the Tynecastle side.

Hartley struck a hat-trick with Edgaras Jankauskas netting the other as Malkowski erred twice. Hibs also had Ivan Sproule and Gary Smith sent-off for trodding on Saulius Mikoliunas and hauling down Michael Pospisil, respectively.

Hearts went on to defeat Gretna in a penalty shoot-out in the final.

Hibernian 0 – 2 Heart of Midlothian – fourth-round – 11/01/2009

It was a start of a new era at Hearts for the 2008/2009 season. They took an unprecedented move in appointing an actual football manager. The chosen individual was Hungarian Csaba Laszlo.

Across at Easter Road, hero of derbies past Mixu Paatelainen was in the hotseat, his first and only full season in charge.

Hibs were more vibrant in the opening stages with a potent strike-force of Steven Fletcher and Derek Riordan. Hearts had the not-so-equally prolific Christian Nade and David Obua leading their attack. If (Alan) Shearer and (Chris) Sutton were the ‘SAS’, Nade and Obua were very much ‘NO’.

The game, however, changed on the half-hour mark following a late challenge from Fletcher on Christophe Berra which warranted a red card from Hibs fans’ favourite Craig Thomson. It is believed that Motherwell are looking to appeal the challenge.

The initiative now with the away side, an unlikely hero emerged as Nade stroked the ball into the empty net with Yves Makalambay going walkabouts. It was Nade’s second against Hibs and certainly wouldn’t be his last. His ratio for goals against Hibs to his career total stands at around 95 per cent.

Gary Glen completed the victory in the 90th minute, latching onto Christos Karpidis’ through-ball and rounding the goalkeeper. Comparisons to John Robertson proved ephemeral.

Hearts would lost at home to Falkirk in the next round.

Hibernian 1 – 5 Heart of Midlothian – final – 19/05/2012

The biggest game in the fixture’s history. Hibs, following a defeat of Aberdeen, were afforded the ideal opportunity to end 110 years of hurt. Taunted by their Edinburgh foes for so long, what better way to end the Scottish Cup curse than having their rivals there to witness it.

Mediocre would be generous in summing up both sides’ seasons. It was argued in the build-up that, as a collective, this was the poorest collection of talent for a derby in many a year. Ironic that they should decide a match of such importance.

Time to scroll down now Hibs fans, I promise it gets better.

Hearts put themselves in a commanding position in under half an hour with goals from Darren Barr and Rudi Skacel, helped by pretty grotesque defending, some of which would make a defensive partnership of Daniel Boateng and Dawid Kucharski wince.

James McPake gave Hibs hope before half time. That hope was ripped away when Roberto Carlos Pa Kujabi was shown a second yellow card by Craig Thomson for pulling down Suso outside the box for a penalty.

Danny Grainger scored the erroneous awarded spot-kick, Ryan McGowan added a fourth and Skacel was bestowed with immortality with his second goal of the game and second Scottish Cup.

(Players who were involved with Hibs that day: Jorge Claros, Matt Doherty, Tom Soares, Isaiah Osbourne, Sean O’Hanlon and George Francomb.)

Hibernian 1 – 0 Heart of Midlothian – fourth-round – 02/12/2012

Hearts came into the fixture on the back of a 12-game unbeaten run in the derby, still basking in that 5-1 victory. They came out of it having deservedly relinquished the trophy, knocked out of the cup in the same year they won it, the first team to suffer such a fate.

Both sides appeared motivated to make every single person in the stadium or watching on TV hate football.

The BBC report stated: “In a wretched match, there was very little to excite the supporters until the breakthrough came. Both sides were guilty of appalling distribution as the ball was hurriedly hoofed from one end of the park to the other.”

Somewhat of a surprise considering the bastions of progressive and pioneering football in charge of either side – Pat Fenlon and John McGlynn.

Hibs advanced thanks to a David Wotherspoon effort deflected in via Marius Zaliukas.

It was a surprise Sportscene managed to find 15 minutes of highlights.

Hibs reached the final again, losing to 3-0 to Celtic.

Heart of Midlothian 2 – 2 Hibernian – fifth-round – 07/02/2016

Much had changed since the last time the sides met in the cup. Hearts had entered administration, suffered relegation, stabilised on and off the field and won the Championship.

Hibs had drifted listlessly under Fenlon then Terry Butcher, culminating in relegation. They were still in the second tier but shorn off much of the baggage which was weighing the club down in recent years, reinvigorated under Alan Stubbs.

In a tempestuous encounter, Hearts, without China-bound Osman Sow, led 2-0 at half-time with fine efforts from Arnaud Djoum and Sam Nicholson.

Minutes after the restart the home side lost captain Alim Ozturk, replaced by Juwon Oshaniwa. Deeper and deeper Hearts dropped as Hibs dominated the second half. One of the few forays forward saw Oshaniwa launch the ball into orbit taking a couple of youngsters sitting high in the Gorgie Stand with it.

Jason Cummings scored a delicate and well-placed header before the inevitable materialised. A corner pin-balled around the box in stoppage time and Paul Hanlon steered it over the line.

Hearts rallied but the teams would have to do it all again at Easter Road.

Hibernian 1 – 0 Heart of Midlothian – fifth-round replay – 16/02/2016

Ask Hearts fans about their worst Edinburgh derby at Easter Road in the last decade or so and many would have plumped for the shambolic midweek defeat in the League Cup when Robbie Neilson played on the right of midfield in a 4-5-1.

Until this encounter.

Stubbs once again showed he had Neilson’s card marked. The width supplied by the wing-backs gave the Easter Road men an advantage. The only goal of the game came in the fourth minute, Cummings again the hero, steering in David Gray’s cross.

Cummings should have settled the game not long after before Hearts would go on to have two goals, rightly, disallowed.

The away side lacked any ideas in how to breakthrough and James Keatings passed up a late opportunity to seal a Hibs win against his former side. By then Cummings and Hearts’ Blazej Augustyn had been sent off.

The rest is history.