Tension increasing in nail-biting chase for cup and league honours.

Hearts aim to cash in on the final

IAN PAUL

8 Apr 1995

ONLY 90 minutes and Airdrie stand between Hearts and a financial jackpot which could have an immense influence on the future of the club, on and off the park.

If the Tynecastle team beat their first division opponents in the Tennents Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden today, the club is in line to pick up a cash reward close to £500,000.

With the second phase of their stadium refurbishment to be tackled, not to mention the declaration by manager Tommy McLean that he needs real money to improve the team, the importance of that kind of bonus can hardly be over-emphasised.

It is made up of money from the tournament sponsors, television and gate receipts and a special bonus arranged two years ago when two of the club sponsors agreed a cup deal which would guarantee Hearts an extra £150,000 if they reached the final.

Brewers Strongbow, the main club sponsors, promised £100,000, and sportswear firm Asics, who have supplied the cup kit, £50,000 if the team made it to the final.

When the pooled gates for the semi-finals are distributed, it will probably be worth £100,000 to each club, while the finalists can both anticipate a cheque of around £250,000.

The total could provide chairman Chris Robinson with a major lift as he tackles the club's financial problems.

The chances of him sporting a grin as broad as the Tynecastle dug-out when the show at Hampden is over could depend on whether Hearts match what will certainly be an Airdrie side prepared to run until they drop, get up and start again.

It looks almost certain, too, that Hearts will have to tackle the job without their first choice keeper, Craig Nelson, in which case 39-year-old Henry Smith will be called into the spotlight only a few days after his blunder allowed Partick Thistle to climb back into the league game with them at Firhill.

Smith, the first player signed under former chairman Wallace Mercer, has been at Tynecastle for 14 years, has been challenged and overtaken as the top side goalie many times during that period, but has always fought back to regain his position.

The error against Thistle might have undermined the confidence of a less experienced or pragmatic man but Smith is unlikely to let it worry him.

Manager Tommy McLean has no doubts about the difficulty of the job his team face but, equally, believes that Hearts have a fine chance to reach the big finale next month.

He and his opposite number, Alex MacDonald, were great pals in their Ibrox days and are still friendly but there will be no exchanges of merry banter in the dug-outs.

There is too much at stake, and concentration on the job will be essential, considering the rewards if they succeed.

Airdrie, beaten by Raith Rovers in the semi-final of the Coca-Cola Cup, would love to emulate the Fife team's success in that tournament and make it a remarkable season when two first division teams lifted the main cups.

They have a long way to go yet, but the spirit in the camp is as buoyant as ever.

Striker Steve Cooper describes it rather differently.

"They are the daftest bunch I have ever known," he said.

"I get plenty of stick for being English, but I can hold my own."

Striker Cooper, who scored in that Coca-Cola semi-final, admitted that he didn't really appreciate the magnitude of the Scottish Cup until the hype began after Airdrie reached the last four, but now he knows what winning would mean to his career.

The man was completely surprised when his club, York City, asked him if he would like to join Airdrie last October but is glad they did.

He and his mates will be well prepared for a tie to which manager MacDonald has been patently looking forward with confidence, because his players will have the benefit of a big crowd and atmosphere that has been lacking from their games this season.

The same club and same manager knocked out Hearts at the same stage in the same tournament three years ago.

It is not beyond them to do it again.

Taken from the Herald