Cathro fills his senses
They were the games Hearts fans reckon changed the course of history – and not for the better.
Now Ian Cathro has put himself through all 180 minutes of them to get a feel for how to avoid a re-run.
From 2- 0 up with just 10 minutes to play, the Jambos’ let their grip slip on a Scottish Cup clash with Hibs last February.
Jason Cummings and Paul Hanlon goals secured a replay – then Cummings’ winner nine days later put their bitter city rivals en route to Hampden glory.
And as Cathro prepared for his f irst derby in the dugout, he said: “I was up all night watching both games back-to-back last week.
“I just wanted to get a sense of how everyone was in the game.
“You know the game is starting to go in another way when it’s 2-0, so what are the first couple of dominoes?
“Often it’s not the goal. It’s maybe something that happened f ive minutes before. A lot of knock- on effects can build up.
“It gave me a feel for some of the players who are still with us and it just informed me a wee bit more.”
Cathro had his squad, including nine January recruits, on a two- night break to St Andrews to help with the bonding process.
And he insists no Hearts fan should be worried about their grasp of what’s at stake. He said: “Everybody knows, everyone will feel it.
“It means more to people than other games do because there’s an extra ingredient – the win has more value to people.
“It becomes a story talked about in offices, pubs and playgrounds. It brings people together and has extra value and meaning.”