I now wish Peter wasn’t so Haring to go
For 81 minutes of the Scottish Cup final in 2019, Peter Haring was inspired. The decision to play him in the first place wasn’t.
The Austrian was taken off hurt after a superb shift that had kept Hearts level with Celtic.
But Craig Levein wishes he and Haring had been more cautious over the player’s persistent pelvic injury.
After playing through the pain barrier that afternoon, the defensive midfielder missed the entire 2019/20 season.
Levein said: “Peter had been toiling, not training a lot. But he was taking injections and performing at a good level.
“We then gave him a fairly lengthy period of rest after the semi-final with a view to getting him back to Hampden.
“I discussed it with him that, if we could get to a level where he was able to play, would he be keen? He’s such a great boy that he said: ‘Whatever I need to do, I’ll do it to be in the team’.
“Little did we know he wouldn’t be back on the field a year later. And, seriously, the longer that went on I thought: ‘That was a stupid decision’.
“If we’d won, then it might have been justified.
“But to not get a winner’s medal then have a whole year of his career lost was just a real shame. So I am thrilled that he’s back. I’ve kept in touch with him on a fairly regular basis.’
Odsonne Edouard’s winner in the 2-1 victory arrived a minute after Haring was substituted.
Levein said: “Peter was our best player and, with his presence in midfield, Celtic had very few chances.
“That’s was down to how he organised. For him to come off was a huge loss for us.”