Historic Hearts achievements mean 2022 will be fondly remembered in Tynecastle annals

Historians of a maroon persuasion will look back on 2022 with a great deal of affection. It transpired as one of the most successful in Heart of Midlothian history despite the fact their team did not actually bring a trophy back to Edinburgh.

Elation was plentiful throughout a relentless 12 months in which Hearts sampled a Scottish Cup final and European group-stage football, with Tynecastle Park hosting the Europa Conference League for the first time. Those were the biggest highlights as manager Robbie Neilson and his coaching staff continued to guide the side along an upward trajectory. That has largely been the case since Neilson, Lee McCulloch and Gordon Forrest took charge of the first team back in summer 2020.

If 2021 offered a hint of the potential under their stewardship, then it was realised furthermore throughout 2022. The year began with Hearts sitting third in the cinch Premiership table and in no mood to relinquish that position. It would remain theirs until the end of the season in May as they secured that cup final spot and with it a coveted and lucrative place in the group stages of a UEFA tournament for the first time since 2004.

First, there was the usual excitement surrounding January signings. Australian right-back Nathaniel Atkinson arrived from Melbourne City and English defender Toby Sibbick returned to Tynecastle from Barnsley having spent a brief time on loan there early in 2020. The most significant capture was that of striker Ellis Simms on loan from Everton just two weeks after he made his English Premier League debut against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He would go on to score seven goals in 20 appearances for Hearts between January and May.

The final game of 2021 was played out in front of no supporters after the Scottish Government reimposed Covid 19 crowd restrictions at major events. Hearts beat Ross County 2-1 and entered the winter break in third spot holding a five-point advantage over fourth-placed Motherwell. They beat the Fir Park side and St Johnstone when business resumed in January but lost to Celtic in between. Their other fixture that month was a comfortable 5-0 victory at Beechwood Park against Auchinleck Talbot as what would become a very profitable Scottish Cup run began in earnest.

A goalless Edinburgh derby at Easter Road began February before more Scottish Cup progress, but only after an uneasy and rather unconvincing penalty-shootout success against Livingston at Tynecastle. That took Hearts into the quarter-finals, where they would dispose of St Mirren at Tynecastle with a somewhat more enjoyable 4-2 scoreline. That set up a mouth-watering semi-final against Hibs at Hampden Park and created a week of back-to-back Capital derbies in April which would define the seasons of both clubs.

Hearts won both. The first became known as the Andy Halliday derby with the midfielder scoring twice in a 3-1 home league win which silenced the taunts of Hibs supporters in the Roseburn Stand. It also further cemented Hearts’ position in third place. The next was even more pivotal. Blistering goals from Simms and Stephen Kingsley secured a cup final spot with a 2-1 win over Hibs at the national stadium which also guaranteed European group-stage football for Neilson and his players. Sadly, they had lost influential midfielder Beni Baningime to a cruciate ligament injury by then.

Rangers were the opponents in the final but they and Celtic would be entering the Champions League, so the Scottish Cup’s Europa League play-off spot would go the team finishing third in the Premiership. It was a momentous achievement, particularly in the context of its timing. Just two years previously, Hearts had suffered a controversially-enforced relegation to the Championship. Now they were about to embark about group stage football on the Continent.

Stephen Kingsley celebrates putting Hearts 2-0 ahead during April's Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibs.

After losing the cup final in extra-time, they signed a host of players over the summer months to expand squad size. John Souttar departed for Ibrox on freedom of contract with Andy Irving, Loic Damour, Aaron McEneff and Jamie Walker also moving on. Striker Lawrence Shankland, defenders Kye Rowles and Alex Cochrane, midfielders Jorge Grant, Orestis Kiomourtzoglou and Robert Snodgrass, plus winger Alan Forrest, forward Stephen Humphrys and goalkeeper Zander Clark all arrived between June and September.

Unfortunately, the passing of Hearts legend Drew Busby in early July left everyone connected with the club in mourning. The loss of former chairman Leslie Deans later in the year was another huge blow to the extended Tynecastle family.

The 2022/23 campaign began with home victories over Ross County and Dundee United, with a draw at Hibs in between. The first European tie saw Hearts lose 3-1 on aggregate to Swiss champions FC Zurich in the Europa League play-off. That meant they dropped into the Conference League groups, where they landed a daunting section containing Lira-laden Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir, Italian giants Fiorentina and Latvian champions RFS.

Perhaps predictably due to a congested fixture list and mounting injuries, league form suffered during the European campaign. Hearts won just one Premiership match between August 29 and October 29 with regulars like Craig Halkett, Stephen Kingsley, Peter Haring and Liam Boyce among those out for long periods alongside Baningime. They finished third in Group A of the Conference League thanks to two wins over RFS – which as Pot 3 seeds was the expected outcome. Crucially, they made a £3million profit simply for taking part.

The aim is to get there again next season and, ahead of Wednesday’s match at St Johnstone, signs are encouraging that they can do so. Neilson’s side are joint-third and know they can focus on league and Scottish Cup during the second period of the season without European distractions. A major blow is losing captain Craig Gordon for the rest of the season through injury following Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Dundee United.