Robbie Neilson: Steven Naismith and Peter Haring won the cup semi for Hearts

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson believes substitutes Steven Naismith and Peter Haring turned Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibs in his team’s favour.

Hearts captain Steven Naismith was a huge influence on his side during the Scottish Cup semi-final.

As the dust settled following the dramatic tie at Hampden Park, Neilson identified Naismith and Haring as the men who won the game for Hearts.

They replaced Jordan Roberts and Jamie Walker respectively on 56 minutes as Hibs began to threaten with the game still goalless.

Within moments, Naismith instigated a move which led to Craig Wighton heading Hearts into the lead. After Christian Doidge’s equaliser, Liam Boyce’s winning penalty in extra-time took the Tynecastle club into December’s final.

“Bringing Peter on in the middle and Naisy on the left gave us control of the game and allowed us to push on. It was great to have them on the bench ready to come in,” Neilson told the Evening News.

“For me, the two of them coming on is what won us the game. We were under the cosh for a wee bit and Hibs were starting to get the better of us.

“One of the things I was really pleased about was managing to get them both on the pitch after their injuries. A lot of people in the background need to take quite a bit of credit for them being on the pitch.

“Our head of performance, Bob McCunn, was a big part of getting players ready, as was our sports scientist Mikey Williams and Craig Maitland the physio. Craig has been working with Peter for more than a year.

“Saturday was another step forward for the two of them. They are probably still not quite ready for 90 minutes so it’s just about building them up.”

Haring spent 16 months out with pelvic and hernia problems, whilst Naismith’s hamstring has restricted his game time in recent weeks.

“It’s great for Peter,” added Neilson. “The last game he played for Hearts before his injury was the Scottish Cup final at Hampden [in 2019]. It was great for him to get out there and put in the performance that he did.

“Naisy is still a top player and he helped change the game for us because he gave us control.”

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