Scottish Cup in focus for Hearts as winning league is 'very difficult' due to Celtic and Rangers

Celtic and Rangers monopolising the Scottish league title means other clubs, realistically, must focus on winning cups. No other team has been crowned champions of Scotland since 1985, when Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen team lifted the old Premier Division trophy.

It is a situation looking unlikely to change as the financial gap between the Glasgow two and the rest increases each year. Right now, that brings Scottish Cup fifth-round weekend sharply into focus for those left in the competition. Hearts finished third in the Premiership last season and sit in the same position just now, so are considered one of the cup favourites. Again, overcoming one of the Glasgow heavyweights is the challenge.

The Edinburgh club have reached three of the last four Scottish Cup finals, losing twice to Celtic and once to Rangers. Wages and budgets at Celtic Park and Ibrox dwarf those of even their closest challengers, therefore one-off cup ties can offer the most probably chance of silverware.

Hearts travel to Hamilton Academical – currently bottom of the Championship – on Friday evening looking to progress to the quarter-finals. That would leave them three wins from lifting the trophy. “It’s a chance to get silverware. We all know the way the league is here, it’s very difficult to win it,” admitted the Tynecastle manager, Robbie Neilson.

“The cups become the area you can try and target to get trophies. Ultimately that’s what the fans want. They want to see silverware and this is an opportunity for us. We have had two finals in two years and three out of the last four. It’s an opportunity for a club like us to get silverware and it’s a chance for the fans to go to Hampden. So Friday night is very important for us.”

Hearts players carry more experience than most of how to push through the cup rounds due to their recent exploits in the tournament. “You’re playing against a different opponent, similar to in Europe,” continued Neilson. “In Scotland you play each other three, four, five times with the cups and this is an opportunity to play against someone else, different players and different players. You always look forward to these games.

“To win tournaments you need to be there a few times and play in these bigger games. I think the majority of the players have played in the last two finals. They have that experience of being there and hopefully they can make the next step.”

Full-back Michael Smith and midfielder Cammy Devlin are training and available for the trip to South Lanarkshire. Captain Lawrence Shankland is suspended, with Stephen Humphrys is a strong contender to take his place up front. Neilson is not tempted to rotate against a lower-division side.

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson flanked by assistants Lee McCulloch and Gordon Forrest.

“We will just pick our strongest team,” he said. “We want to win, whether it’s a league game or a cup game. We will pick the strongest XI and hopefully get the result. We won’t treat it any differently from playing Rangers, Celtic, Hibs or Aberdeen.”

He is also well-acquainted with the Hamilton manager John Rankin. “I travelled up and down to Dundee United with him as a player and he was coaching here at Hearts,” said Neilson. “It was a difficult job to go into. He made a big decision to leave here. He was in a solid, secure job here and he was enjoying himself, but he went out into management. A lot of people wouldn’t do that but he took that chance. I’m glad to see it’s turned round for him.”