Gary Mackay: Josh Ginnelly should start in a confident Hearts team against Celtic

There should be an air of quiet assurance about Hearts as they travel to Hampden Park tomorrow.

Winger Josh Ginnelly could have a big impact for Hearts at Hampden.

Robbie Neilson couldn’t really have asked for a better situation in which to enter a Scottish Cup final against Celtic. His team are playing well and scoring goals, and their opponents find themselves in slightly unpredictable form.

All the pressure has been on Celtic in recent weeks in every game and this final is no different. However, I think Rangers losing another opportunity to win a trophy in midweek makes life very slightly easier for Neil Lennon and his players.

Hearts simply have to focus on themselves. A fair part of the job in this competition was done before the current staff came in, beating Rangers being an especially big result under Daniel Stendel. They have also beaten Hibs in the semi-final and they are capable of beating Celtic.

The timing of recent results will also have helped in many ways. There were a couple of wake-up calls with defeats at Dunfermline and Alloa but the response has been the correct one.

We went to Morton and won pretty comfortably, then we’ve hit Queen of the South for six last weekend to move four points clear at the top of the league.

There are different names on the scoresheet and we have a choice of players from middle to front. I think most managers would take that kind of build-up.

I expect training this week will have been really bright and sharp because nobody – apart from Craig Gordon – will feel they are certain to start the game. That’s especially true in midfield and up front.

The guys who aren’t selected know they are more than capable of doing a job. Also, the guys on the pitch need to be on their ‘A’ game or they will find themselves replaced.

The central midfield area is particularly competitive with Peter Haring, Andy Halliday, Olly Lee and Andy Irving. You would probably also term Steven Naismith, Josh Ginnelly and Jamie Walker as part of the midfield given the system Hearts play.

Ginnelly coming back in gives the option of real pace and threat in the wide area and I think everyone hopes he will be a key man for Hearts at Hampden.

It’s a huge call on whether he should start the final or not, and naturally some of that will be down to fitness after seven weeks out with a thigh injury.

He came on and scored against Queen of the South and looked really sharp. Celtic, though, is a different proposition. I think you need to look at the make-up of the player in question in a situation like this.

Is he the type who could make an impact coming on later in the match when maybe a few opponents are tired? Or would he be better suited to starting the game and trying to seize an advantage by unsettling Celtic early on?

We don’t know exactly how ready he is to play from kick-off and I dare say Hearts won’t be divulging that information to the public for obvious reasons.

If Robbie and the coaching staff feel he is capable of getting up to speed with the rest of the players right from the start, then I would go for that option.

I would have him starting and using his pace to try and disrupt Celtic during the early stages. It would be a big option for Hearts to be able to run in behind and get beyond Celtic’s defence.

If we could get in front it would make it very interesting. I say that because of Celtic’s fragile mentality at the moment compared to recent years. I’d like to see how they react to going 1-0 down.

If Hearts score, does that make them open up and then leave themselves susceptible at the back? They do look vulnerable there as everyone has seen. They haven’t looked like that in years gone by while clocking up three trebles.

In Glasgow, they are always backed by a vociferous support and there’s no doubt that will be missed. It’s the same for Hearts. Our fans never get outsung at the national stadium because they always turn up in numbers.

That would be the same on Sunday under normal circumstances but, until this pandemic passes, I can’t see the situation changing significantly. It’s a real shame that we have such a huge occasion like a Scottish Cup final taking place in an empty stadium.

That said, I’m still really looking forward to seeing what the Hearts players and management team can produce on the day. I really hope the players go out and do themselves justice.

A Hearts win would, of course, mean Robbie Neilson becomes a history-maker as the first man ever to win the Scottish Cup with as both player and manager at the club. What a monumental accolade that would be.

He isn’t into personal glory as we all know but, that said, it would be a terrific reward for a very down-to-earth, hard-working individual.

All the Hearts players who have won a cup with the club through years have become legends in their own rights, and that’s the way it should be. We are paying tribute to one of them on Sunday by wearing No.26 on the shorts in honour of Marius Zaliukas.

What a place in the history of Heart of Midlothian it would be for Robbie – winning the cup as a player then doing the same as manager. Let’s hope he gets that honour.

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