Hearts need to end League Cup and Rangers at Hampden hex

When Norrie Davidson struck against Kilmarnock to win the League Cup for Heart of Midlothian at Hampden Park in 1962 it gave the Gorgie side their fourth success in the competition. At that point, the 17th year of the tournament, no side had won more.

Since then it is not a pretty picture. Hearts have watched not only rivals but clubs with a fraction of the expectation, finance, support and stature win the League Cup. 

Rangers (23 times), Celtic (19), Aberdeen (5), Hibs (3), Dundee United (2), Dundee, Kilmarnock, St Johnstone, St Mirren, Ross County, Livingston, Raith Rovers, Partick Thistle (all 1).

Now, the League Cup has always been viewed as the less attractive of the two sisters alongside the resplendent Scottish Cup, the cup competition clubs want to win. Not only does it have more grandeur it now also guarantees European group stage football.

Over the last 25 years, Hearts have had a special connection with that competition. Firstly, it was success in the Scottish Cup that ended the club's long, long wait for a trophy in 1998. Then in 2012, in the biggest Edinburgh derby in the fixture's history, they ran out rampant winners. In the intervening period the trophy was added to a second-place finish in 2006.

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As for Hearts and the League Cup, it's now just getting silly. A club the size of Hearts shouldn't have gone 61 years - as it will be on October 27 - without winning the competition. In that time it is not as if they have been knocking on the door, beaten finalists just twice since the last time they picked up the trophy. The 4-3 loss to Rangers in the famous 1996 final, a proper ding-dong, doozy of a duel, and then in 2013 when St Mirren came from behind to win 3-2.

It is a hex, hoodoo, curse, jinx, however you want to describe it, that requires broken. There is the law of averages and all that, but Hearts fans need only look across the city to see how long a drought can last for.

"Hearts trophy record is not brilliant for the size of club and backing," Steven Naismith said, quite rightly. "For me there is a demand there, but we need to all be at a good level to consistently be challenging for the trophies because inevitably the Old Firm have the financial capabilities to have a much bigger squad which minimises the risk for them. It is a real opportunity."

Rangers are the team Hearts will need to beat to progress to a final where Aberdeen will be the opponents. To end the League Cup hex, Hearts will have to break another unwanted record. They have never beaten Rangers at Hampden Park. In 14 meetings between the sides at the national stadium, the Gorgie side have managed just two draws only to then lose the replays. One in the League Cup and one in the Scottish Cup.

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Any idea that it is 'just the League Cup' should be buried. It is one of two pieces of silverware that can realistically be won. Cammy Devlin spoke of wanting to have the experience of bringing a trophy back to Tynecastle Park, to see the streets of EH11 and beyond lined with Hearts fans. 

Now the players have the opportunity to consign two unwanted records to history and be known as the team who broke the League Cup hoodoo.