Hearts bleed in sympathy.

Last week Hearts seemed to have the double in their grasp.

Yesterday they ended the season empty handed.

The blow they suffered in losing this intriguing Scottish Cup Final should bring them even more sympathy than their dramatic stumble over the last hurdle of the championship race.

That sympathy, though, must be weighed against Aberdeen's greater technical accomplishment which brought their fully-deserved success.

They may have lacked the consistency of Hearts (or Celtic) but when it mattered most they demonstrated the professionalism which is their trademark.

How else can one feel about a team that never accepted defeat and pushed Aberdeen to the limit - even after a disastrous three-minute spell near the end when they fell 3-0 behind and had their captain, Walter Kidd, ordered off for a clash with Aberdeen skipper Willie Miller.

Kidd, Hearts's longest serving player, had a miserable afternoon in other ways.

He was rarely able to cope with Aberdeen outside-left Peter Weir, who helped create two of the goals.

As if they didn't have enough trouble with Weir and the left foot of Hewitt, Hearts's usually reliable defence gave Aberdeen the first goal after only five minutes, when their sharpness and positive attitude had dispelled doubts about their ability to erase the psychological scars from last Saturday's defeat at Dundee.

There seemed no danger when, in Aberdeen's first attack, Hewitt gained possession on the right and drifted across the area looking for someone to take a pass.

The Hearts defence, though, were woefully slow to close in on him and Hewitt gratefully accepted the scoring chance with a well struck, low shot with his famous left foot.

Aberdeen, looking for their fourth Scottish Cup triumph in five years, are usually masters at taking the heat out of the game when they are in front.

Such was Hearts's staying power that Aberdeen were given occasional moments to doubt their ability to retain control of the game.

Manager Alex Ferguson, mindful of the problem his central defenders McLeish and Miller might face in Mexico, must have been encouraged by the way they frustrated the quick, direct, Hearts forwards Colquhoun and Robertson, albeit at full stretch.

Robertson, showing a refreshing willingness to run straight at opponents with the ball, almost brought Hearts back into the game after 19 minutes when he beat Aberdeen's offside trap, only to direct his lob over the bar.

Mackay, providing elegant support to Robertson and Colquhoun from midfield, will also feel that he should have done better with a chance provided by Clark's header.

Not that Aberdeen, despite their unease at Hearts' resilience, didn't have impressive moments in attacks themselves.

McDougall, from McMaster's through ball, failed by inches to give Aberdeen a more comfortable interval lead, and Hewitt also went close with another excellent left foot shot from 35 yards which Smith did well to save.

It was from that point that Weir, who might well have been included in Scotland's World Cup squad in place of Rangers' Davie Cooper but for his injury problems this season, helped Aberdeen to register a more flattering score line.

In the 48th minute, Weir, from Hewitt's headed pass, dribbled round the unfortunate Kidd to get to the goal line; McDougall threw the Hearts defence off guard by dummying the resultant cross and Hewitt, unmarked, applied the most clinical of finishing touches.

After Berry's shot struck the bar it was Weir again who finally broke the resistance of Kidd and Hearts 16 minutes from the end, with another fine run and cross which was headed in spectacularly by substitute Stark.

Hearts can take some satisfaction from the way that they produced many of the attributes and qualities which enabled them to establish a 32-match unbeaten record.

It would have been enough to have beaten almost any other team, a fact recognised by their huge following in the 62,841 crowd who stayed after the whistle to applaud the team which had given them so much pleasure.

Ferguson himself expressed the point afterwards: 'We have won the Skol Cup and the Scottish Cup and Celtic the championship, but this has been Hearts's season.

'

Weather: fine.

Ground: firm.

Goals: Hewitt (5min) 1-0; Hewitt (48min) 2-0: Stark (74min) 3-0.

Aberdeen (4-3-3): Leighton: Cooper.

Miller.

McLeish, McQueen: Bett.

McKimmie, McMaster (sub: Stark 49 min): Hewitt (sub: J Miller 75min).

McDougall.

Weir.

Hearts (4-3-3): Smith; Kidd, Jardine, Levein, Whittaker: Black, G Mackay, Berry; Colquhoun, Clark, Robertson.

Taken from timesonline.co.uk