KINGSLEY IS THE CAPITAL KING
Defender on target again as Gorgie men seal final place and lord it over city rivals
YOU could forgive Stephen Kingsley a little bit of grandstanding after curling home his match-winning goal. The Hearts defender clearly believed his sweet, spectacular strike had settled this semi-final in Hearts’ favour.
And, ultimately, he was proved right.
But having ran towards the Hibs technical area in jubilation, quite possibly in response to Shaun Maloney’s claims that Hearts had over-celebrated their derby win last weekend, Kingsley added credence to the manager’s words.
Whether that stung the Leith team into action or Hearts simply got carried away with themselves, within 60 seconds Hibs had scored a goal of their own and, improbably, Hampden had a proper cup tie on its hands with three quarters of the game still to play.
From looking home and hosed, Hearts never again looked comfortable in the match, even after they gained a man advantage through Joe Newell’s sending-off.
In the lead-up, there was a distinct sense that this game was Hearts’ to lose.
That impression was only heightened by the publication of the team sheets 75 minutes before kick-off.
The fact Maloney should make five changes after a 3-1 derby defeat at Tynecastle was understandable and perhaps even encouraging to the Hibs support. Certainly, confirmation that Ryan Porteous was starting was a boon.
But the team started with no recognised striker, Celtic loanee Ewan Henderson operating in support of Hull City loanee James Scott in attack.
Henderson would emerge as the game’s most accomplished performer — but during a frantic, chaotic opening, it must have felt like the walls were falling in.
Hearts raced into a two-goal and the nature of the finishing felt like a punishment beating.
Alex Cochrane’s bravery in pinching the ball from Paul McGinn’s feet — and taking a sore one in the process — deserves credit, but the penetration came from the guile of Barrie McKay, who quickly freed Simms for a pop at goal.
Tailor-made for Scottish football, the big Everton forward took a break from banging into Porteous and Paul Hanlon to unleash a rocket into the top corner from 22 yards.
Kingsley’s strike was even better. As the chants from the maroon end suggested, the award of a free-kick just right of centre and 25 yards out seemed the perfect spot for the defender to unleash one of his specials.
So when he opted instead to bounce a wall pass off Liam Boyce, it looked like he’d succeeded only in narrowing his scope. Instead, he pulled out a beauty. Using the new angle to shape a curler that found the opposite pocket of Matt Macey’s goal.
After that loaded celebration, a certain over-confidence had indeed set in. Down the years, Hibs have acquired a reputation for bottling the big games at Hampden, especially against their nearest rivals.
So immense credit should go to the gutsy response that saw them haul themselves back into it within a minute.
Easter Road veteran Lewis Stevenson, tucked into a midfield role for the day, took advantage of Toby Sibbick’s sloppiness near the goal line and jinked forward before picking out Cadden with the cutback.
The wing-back’s first shot appeared to hit Newell on the head but his reaction was pitch-perfect. Opening his body to take the rebound on his weaker left foot, the former Motherwell man guided his finish low into the net.
Inevitably, the pace dropped as the players gulped some air back into their lungs. That suited Hibs, with Henderson in particular taking advantage of the lack of dynamism in Hearts’ midfield to find space and probe away at a back three shorn of John Souttar’s calming quality.
But on the verge of half-time, Hearts should have restored their advantage.
Porteous inadvertently teed up the chance with a firm tackle on Simms that sent the ball hard into Boyce’s path.
There was something lacking in the Northern Irishman’s body language as he prepared to shoot, none of Simms’ swagger, and so it was no great surprise to see him skew the shot wide of the target.
Having already lost Andy
Halliday to injury midway through the half, Robbie Neilson scarcely needed another enforced change, but he had to reshuffle again when Craig Halkett became the day’s second casualty soon after the break.
Scott’s tackle could have been better-timed but the damage seemed to come from an awkward fall more than any malicious intent.
After a lengthy spell of treatment, the defender departed on a stretcher and his absence further emboldened Hibs. A corner gave Henderson the chance to curl a cross on to Porteous’s head and the defender must have thought he had scored with a fullblooded header that was heading inside the post until Craig Gordon threw out an arm and clawed it onto the post.
Then Newell did something so stupid it beggared belief. Already on a booking after a cheap lunge at McKay, the midfielder abandoned all composure to launch himself into a challenge with Peter Haring. The second the Austrian got his toe to the ball, the outcome was settled in referee John Beaton’s mind.
The extra man allowed Hearts to regain some control, with only some dogged and determined defending from Paul McGinn denying McKay a goal. And yet Hearts could not re-establish dominance. For in the elusive Henderson, Hibs retained a player capable of finding space and using it to great effect.
His guile teed up sub Josh Campbell and Harry Clarke for shots, neither of which came close to hitting the target.
And so he had a pop himself, forcing Gordon to scramble another save low to his right to keep out a free-kick.
Campbell aped Newell’s stupidity with a late and high lunge on McKay that could have drawn a straight red rather than the yellow produced by Beaton.
Halkett’s replacement Taylor Moore was just as fortunate to stay on after shoving Porteous to the ground while on a booking.
Beaton saw enough to award a free-kick but sub Sylvester Jasper wasted the opportunity, with a weak free-kick that gave the keeper one final, easy, save.