Glory Days: The day Hearts were reborn

FANS have debated it for years – now it's your chance to help us decide once and for all.

Which is the greatest game your team has ever played?

It's day three in our quest to find Hearts and Hibs' most memorable 90 minutes as we look back at classic matches involving the Capital clubs, selected by the Evening News.

Once all five match choices have been revealed, we'll print details of how you can vote for your team's most greatest match. Did your proudest moment come during a glorious Cup final victory? Or did a thumping derby win bring you more joy?

The choice is yours.

Once all the votes are in, we'll reveal which two games are considered the greatest by you the fans.

And all readers who vote will enter a prize draw to win either a new Hearts or Hibs shirt signed by the current team.


HEARTS 2, RANGERS 1
Scottish Cup Final
16 May, 1998

A DAY when 35 years of hurt were consigned to history as Hearts overcame Rangers at Celtic Park to lift the Scottish Cup amid an outpouring of emotion.

Images of a tearful John Robertson with the trophy at full-time epitomised the joy felt by Tynecastle supporters, who had last saw their team lift silverware in 1962 when the League Cup was secured.

At the end of an exhilarating campaign – Hearts were genuine challengers for the 1997/98 league title alongside Celtic and Rangers up until the closing weeks of the campaign – it was refreshing to see their efforts rewarded.

Rangers' dominance of the league championship had ended when Celtic prevented them securing a tenth successive title, but Hearts were not in charitable mood either and started the match at a frenetic pace. Inside two minutes, they were awarded a penalty when Steve Fulton was felled inside the box and referee Willie Young pointed to the spot.

Colin Cameron took no notice of the furore going on around him and coolly stepped up to convert from 12 yards. From that moment, Hearts never looked like losing.

They held a 1-0 advantage at the interval before Stephane Adam sealed the triumph in the second half. The Frenchman chased a looping ball in behind the Rangers defence, Lorenzo Amoruso appeared to dither but Adam's finish was too powerful for Andy Goram to stop.

Ally McCoist gave Rangers a glimmer of hope with a goal ten minutes from time, but an ageing Rangers team was dying on its feet. Hearts, by contrast, were reborn.

Each member of the team inscribed their name in Tynecastle folklore that day, none more so than Adam. "I will always remember the Scottish Cup," he said. "It was a fantastic time in my career, not just my time in Scotland but overall. I won the French Cup in 1996 with Metz and that was a fantastic experience. But what I remember from 1998 in Edinburgh was the joy on the thousands of Hearts fans' faces.

"To be a winner with Hearts and see how important it was to everybody connected with the club, that will live with me forever."

Hearts: Rousset, McPherson, Naysmith, Weir, Salvatori, Ritchie, McCann, Fulton, Adam (Hamilton 78), Cameron, Flogel. Subs: Hamilton, Murray, Robertson.