Alex Cochrane opens up on Edinburgh derby red card as Hearts ace faces 2023/24 season delay

Alex Cochrane is thankful to the rest of his Hearts team-mates for managing to hold on to fourth place after he was sent off in the final game of the season.

Steven Naismith’s side were a goal up on Edinburgh derby rivals Hibs at Tynecastle when Cochrane brought down Chris Cadden running into the penalty area.

Referee Don Robertson initially booked the full-back and awarded a penalty, but after a VAR check, it was instead given as a free-kick on the edge of the box with Cochrane receiving a red for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. To make matters worse, Kevin Nisbet dispatched the free-kick into the bottom corner to level the score.

Despite facing 59 minutes with a man down, plus lengthy stoppage time at the end of each half, Hearts managed to hold on for a draw, which stopped Hibs from leapfrogging them on the last day.

Alex Cochrane walks off after being shown his marching orders in the final match of the season between Hearts and Hibs. Picture: SNS

Cochrane’s red card against the Hibees was his second in a few weeks after VAR also intervened in the 2-0 defeat to Celtic. It meant Cochrane totalled three for the campaign and will serve a three-game ban when next season begins.

“Yeah it felt like the refs had something against me with the VARS! Nah, it’s obviously there to help the game, if that’s to our benefit or not, it’s one of those things. I just need to learn from it, which I think I have,” he told the Daily Record.

“I couldn’t believe it when the second one happened. I was gutted with the importance of the game, it being a derby and having fourth place on the line and Hibs having the opportunity to go ahead of us. It was frustrating. I didn’t want the season to end like that. I felt I’d had a good season. It was annoying but I just had to reset my mind, rest and get ready to go again.

“Unfortunately I need to wait three games before I can start playing again but I’m looking forward to it. At the time I thought it was in the box and I would take the yellow card, they’d get a penalty and I’d move on. But obviously when you see the lengthy VAR check you have to wait and see what they say.

“Looking back now I think I should have done better and not put myself in that position to start with. I have learned from that and we’ll move on to the new season.

“I watched the rest of the game on my phone in the changing room. I was biting my nails and very anxious but thankfully the boys got it done. It wasn’t the way I wanted the season to end but thankfully the boys got me out of jail."

Despite falling victim to it twice as the campaign drew to a close, which hindered Hearts chances of getting a pair of results that could have got them third, Cochrane remains behind the use of VAR in football.

“Personally I like VAR,” he said. “You know it’s going to be stop-start and it’s always had teething problems, even in other leagues. Hopefully it will get better this season and there won’t be the long delays there have been.”