Neilson needing an eternal flame to be lit by burning desire for cup final glory

ROBBIE NEILSON has implored his Hearts players to write a legacy for themselves against Celtic this afternoon which will last a lifetime. The Tynecastle manager understands the legendary status afforded to those who have hoisted the Scottish Cup aloft for the Gorgie club just three times in the past 64 years, having done it himself in 2006 and been there as a fan on the other two occasions.

Now, despite going into today’s final as underdogs against Scottish football’s dominant force, who have won the last 11 domestic trophies, the 40-year-old believes his team has both the talent and motivation to deny Neil Lennon’s men their coveted quadruple Treble.

‘That status is something we’ve touched on with the players already,’ said Neilson (below).

‘It’s about going into the final and making sure we win it. In 10 years’ time, nobody cares if you’ve been to a final, they’re only interested if you’ve won, especially at a club like Hearts where we haven’t been to, or won, that many. It’s about getting the result.

‘Growing up, you want to play for Scotland and you want to win a cup final. I’ve managed to do both, and I’ve got guys here who have already done it, too. I’ve got others who are still hoping to do it and this is an opportunity for them.

‘You have to make the most of it when it comes.’

Neilson’s affinity with the club runs deep. In his second spell as their manager now, he won the Cup as a player in their 2006 penalty shoot-out victory over Gretna.

‘I went to the 2012 final where we beat Hibs 5-1,’ he revealed, ‘even though I was at Dundee United at the time. I actually went with my dad and we had a few beers before the game and sat with the fans. It was a brilliant day.

‘I was at the 1998 final at Parkhead when we beat Rangers as well. I didn’t get to the 2019 final, but I watched it on TV.

‘I know what this means to the fans as I’ve been at this club a long time. If we can get a result in this game, the players will be remembered for a long time at this club. Hopefully we can bring some more success o n S u n d a y, although it’s a shame there will be no fans there to enjoy it.’

The last final, played 18 months ago, ended in a 2-1 comefrom-behind victory to Celtic but such have been the changes at Tynecastle only four players from that 18 will feature today.

‘Those guys will still be hurting from that, though,’ insisted Neilson, ‘and this is another opportunity for them that’s come round very quickly.’

Neilson is quick to acknowledge, however, that it will take a jump in intensity for his Championship players to get on Celtic’s wavelength, irrespective of his team’s recent successes or the opposition’s struggles.

‘Going into previous games in the league,’ he said, ‘we’re overwhelming favourites most weeks. We have a lot of possession and we have the better players whereas we’re going into a Scottish Cup final here against a team who have won the last 11 trophies.

‘We’re going against teams that are at one level one week, another level the next, and then we’re playing Celtic who are at another level altogether.

‘We have to make sure we prepare properly for that. You can make mistakes against some teams, where against others you’ll get punished.

‘But we’ve got guys who understand that, who have played at the top level, so I’ve no qualms about going into this game.

‘We know it’s going to be a different game. We know Celtic will have quite a lot of the ball and that they’ve got some very good players we need to take care of.

‘We’ll work on our attacking side as we do every week, but we’ll also have to do a bit more on the defensive side — on how we stop certain players and try to negate them to give ourselves the best chance of winning.

‘When you get to a cup final, no matter what division you’re in, the first 20-25 minutes tell you the story of the game.

‘If the overwhelming favourites get an early goal, it makes it difficult for the other team to get back in the game. We understand that, playing against Celtic, we can’t give anything away. We have to keep ourselves in the game.

‘But we need to make sure we have an attacking threat as well. We’ve had it all season and we don’t want to give it up.’