From heartbreak to history: Hearts set to take a unique achievement to the next level

Devastation was inescapable as Hearts players and staff loitered in corridors deep in the bowels of Hampden Park on Sunday. The Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Rangers hit hard with glum faces and bowed heads abounding. Sadness may not have entirely dissipated just yet but, by the time the team coach leaves for Kilmarnock on Saturday, there will be a significant mood shift.

Hearts are already guaranteed a top-four finish in this year’s Premiership and with it European football next season. That in itself is a historic achievement given no side throughout the club’s 150-year existence has competed in Europe three years in a row. Victory at Kilmarnock will secure third place in the table and ensure a coveted place in the league phase of either the Europa League or Conference League. That will bring in more than £5m in extra income.

The above rewards add extra appeal to finishing third as the best team in Scotland outwith Celtic and Rangers. Hearts finished third in 2021/22 and celebrated the achievement and the accompanying European group-stage berth. Last year, they held a considerable advantage in the same position but slipped to fourth after being usurped by Aberdeen. Critics deemed that failure, but reclaiming third spot would be a successful end to the campaign.

The sorrow from Sunday’s cup loss might linger, however there is still plenty league business to keep Hearts occupied. “Let it hurt. It’s natural as a competitor that you will feel that way but we can’t dwell on it. We have a massive game this week,” said midfielder Cammy Devlin, speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News. “If we go to Kilmarnock and win then we have guaranteed group-stage football in Europe. We had that in my first season here and those were experiences we will take with us for the rest of our lives. Hopefully we can learn from them and do better if we get there. We will dust ourselves off and take this hurt into next Saturday.

“We have taken so many steps since I’ve come here. Getting European football and third place in the first year, then we blew it a little bit last year, although we still did reasonably well in the Euro games we had. If we can get guaranteed group stages again then it’s massive for the club. We have shown we are the third-best team. If we can be consistent in that and break history then it would be great.”

Players are in no doubt that finalising third place would amount to a successful campaign. “You can’t say it’s not success because it is success,” continued Devlin. “You are getting European football so it does amount to success because you have achieved something. If you don’t come third then you don’t get that. We don’t set out at the start of any season saying: ‘Hopefully we come third.’ That’s a loser mentality. If you come to Hearts with that mentality then you are probably not fit [to be there].

“Everyone sets out for the same reason and that goes for Sunday. We know Rangers are a great team, they are in the title race and whatever form they have come into kind of goes out the window in a one-off game. We set up to win but we fell short. Fingers crossed we can wrap it up this week.”

Ending last season in fourth spot left a good deal of frustration within the Riccarton dressing-room. Devlin is reluctant to use the word ‘failure’ but acknowledged that falling one place from third did create that impression. “Last season kind of did feel like that considering the position we were in. I think we were 11 points clear of Aberdeen at one point and finished fourth, so it did feel like that,” he said.

“It would be lovely to be in a final and go and win it. That’s something we all dream to do at Hearts while we are here, to give back to the support that me and all the boys have felt. We are doing our best and fingers crossed we can just get third wrapped up and look forward to the group stage next season.”

Regularly finishing third in the Premiership can be a lucrative business provided Scotland’s UEFA co-efficient holds its ranking. The next step for Hearts would be winning the Scottish Cup and taking the cup’s European spot as holders rather than by default through league position. “To win a trophy at any stage of your career would be so special. Those are the days and nights you remember,” said Devlin.

“I had my mum and dad in the stands on Sunday. They came over. Just to do that in front of them would have been great. I played in the Scottish Cup final in my first season but to go one step further with that group of boys would be fantastic. We work hard every day to amount to success. Winning trophies is definitely success, but it’s not to be this year. If you let it kill you for long periods then it will impact how you perform. It’s so disappointing but we have to dust ourselves off and go again.”

Devlin’s thoughts on Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Hampden Park mirrored those of many within the Hearts camp. “I’m gutted, man,” he admitted. “Once again, we shoot ourselves in the foot within the first five minutes. That was so important. You can’t give a good team a goal of a start but after that we had a really good gameplan. I was really confident going into the game, taking away what has been happening to Rangers. Just within us, I felt really confident in training with what we were planning to do. The goal inside five minutes obviously kills us.

“After that, I thought we played well. We competed and kept the ball. We had a few chances which were more than half-chances. If you don’t learn from it then it’s not going to get better. It’s hard to criticise because everyone works so hard and puts so much into it. We all want the same outcome. We all want to send thousands of our fans home with smiles on their faces. You have to learn from mistakes but that goes for everyone. Right now, it’s still really sore.”