Macaulay Tait held his hands up for his mistake that led to Rangers’ second goal at Hampden – but the young Heart of Midlothian midfielder is determined to make amends.
Cyriel Dessers took advantage of some slack defending early on in the Scottish Cup semi-final as Philippe Clement’s side took the lead before Tait was introduced off the bench in the 73rd minute.
Five minutes later the teenager was dispossessed by Todd Cantwell in midfield, and Rangers were ruthless as they advanced up the park to make it 2-0 and put the game beyond Steven Naismith’s side.
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“It was disappointing,” Tait said. “It was my mistake that probably killed the tie, which is a frustrating one.
“We competed well. We conceded the early goal but we reacted well and after that we gave them a game. We had a few good chances and half-chances that we probably could have done better with.
“It was another tough game and they are a good side, but we showed that we are closing the gap compared to the other semi-final.
“This was my first competitive game at Hampden. I played in the Youth Cup final a few years ago. I’ve been in the Hearts end as a fan in these types of games quite a lot. They have been mixed games but today was a frustrating one.
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“My family were in the crowd today, which was a nice moment. It has taken a lot of work to get to here. I’m disappointed that we didn’t win but it is another milestone ticked off. It just makes me more motivated to come back next season and try to make amends.
“Getting to come on gives a good sense of where the manager sees me. It’s just annoying that I’ve not done well for him after that. I’ll have to bounce back.”
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