Kingsley finds dual focus in Cup semi and league campaign
The climax to season 2023/24 is shaping up nicely for Hearts as they pursue league and cup ambitions. The prospect of securing third place in the Premiership before next month's split and then preparing for a Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers is enough to leave supporters in Gorgie salivating. It is certainly plenty for players to ponder whilst journeying up the A9 to Dingwall this weekend.
"We are in a great position in the league. I’m not an idiot; we are 13 points clear of fourth place and people will be thinking we are out on our own," admitted defender Stephen Kingsley.
"As players, we can never think like that. If you start thinking like that, you are setting yourself up for a big fall. We’ve got Ross County away on Saturday which is going to be a tough fixture. We always get tough games up there. We need to win that and move on to the next one. And what a carrot we’ve now got to look forward to in a few weeks at Hampden."
Hearts beat Morton
1-0 at Cappielow Park in Monday night's quarterfinal to set up a last-four meeting with Rangers. An 85th-minute goal by the on-loan Costa Rican winger Kenneth Vargas breached a resilient home defence as the Edinburgh club took one step nearer a trophy they have not lifted for 12 years.
"I felt we had control in the game," said Kingsley, one of Hearts' strongest performers in Greenock. "We knew Morton would carry a threat when they put balls into the box and they have a lad (Lewis Strapp) with a really long throw. They are aggressive. It was always going to be a tough game for us and the longer it went on, it did get a bit nervy.
"We believed that if we continued doing what we are good at then we would eventually find a way through. It took a bit longer than we hoped. We missed a few chances and could have made it a lot more comfortable for ourselves, but we got there in the end and that’s the main thing. Patience and composure are always important when you go to places like Cappielow. You know it’s going to be a fight. Fair play to Morton, they made it tough for us."
Kingsley ventured forward from left-back to create good scoring opportunities for teammates Beni Baningime and Aidan Denholm before Vargas' goal. The Scotland international joked that the midfielders' profligacy robbed him of an assist bonus.
"I could have got about six against Morton if Aidan
and Beni had their shooting boots on," he smiled. "It was good we were creating those chances. As I said, it does get nervy the longer it goes at 0-0 but on a tough pitch, as long as you keep doing the things you are good at, you hope you are going to take one of those chances. I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t get a couple of assists, but we got the win and that’s the main thing."
The semi-final on the weekend of April 20-21 will be the second between Hearts and Rangers this season. The Glasgow club won the League Cup semi 3-1 in November and will be favourites ahead of the Hampden Park rematch.
"It’s our second one this season and these are the games you want. We are delighted to be there and it’s a great challenge for everyone," said Kingsley, mindful that his team have lost four out of four meetings with Rangers this term. "We absolutely want to do better against Rangers than we have, 100 per cent. It reflects on us as players. 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. I’ve been at Hampden God knows how many times, so I’m hoping we can give our best this time.”
There is a persistent nagging that Hearts have not done themselves justice against the Light Blues. Having won both of their last two meetings against Celtic, they will now seek to topple the other half of Glasgow to reach their fourth Scottish Cup final in the last six years.
"We just need to believe we can put on the performance we are capable of against them. I feel we’ve been guilty of not giving a great account of ourselves the last couple of times," conceded Kingsley. "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."