Classic Match: Hearts 3, Rangers 4: Nov 24, 1996

Of course, there was a feeling of disappointment after falling at the final hurdle again in their bid to end that 34-year trophy drought.

But, while they had never got out of first gear in that 5-1 Scottish Cup final defeat, it was a totally different story on this occasion.

You feared the worst when they were punished twice in the opening 27 minutes for dreadful marking, Ally McCoist cashing in on both occasions.

But, just as they had done against the other half of the Old Firm in the league the previous month, the Jambos dug deep in the face of a crisis and, for a spell, it really did look as though the trophy might have been on its way back to Gorgie.

Steve Fulton picked the perfect time to open his goal account for the season when he turned on a sixpence in the box to hammer a shot past Andy Goram just before the interval.

And, when Jim Jefferies' side then earned their just reward for a storming start to the second half as John Roberston got on the end of a Neil McCann cross to score from close range, there was only one team who looked like they were going to go on and win the game.

Robertson clearly looked to have been fouled by Joachim Bjorklund as the pair challenged for the ball right in front of assistant referee Alan Freeland and the two dug-outs.

To the horror of everyone on the Hearts bench, however, the offence went unpunished and, as Jefferies and the other members of his backroom team protested furiously to the official, Rangers duly rubbed salt into their wounds.

Until that point, Paul Gascoigne had been superbly shackled thanks to the combined efforts of Fulton and Gary Mackay.

On this occasion, though, he got free and, not for the first time in his career, the Englishman punished a team for letting him run at them as he buried a right foot shot past a helpless Gilles Rousset from 20 yards.

It was a sickening blow for Hearts and they were still trying to recover when Gazza struck again, this time cutting in from the right to play a one-two before drilling a shot into the net.

From a position where they must have genuinely felt that they could win the game, Hearts suddenly found themselves with a mountain to climb for the second time in the game and, on this occasion, they couldn't haul themselves back.

To their credit they didn't give up and made it 4-3 right at the death when David Weir got on the end of a McCann free-kick.

But there just wasn't enough time to get another one, leaving Richard Gough to pick up the trophy for Rangers.

However, at least on this occasion the Hearts players had reason to feel a sense of pride when they went up to receive their medals.

The reception from the maroon-and-white legions as they did so was magnificent and told you everything you needed to know about the performance.

For this was a result which provided positive proof that Hearts were on the up.

At the end of the day the difference between the sides were the millions of pounds Rangers had spent bringing in the likes of Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup.

But the gulf that was evident in May certainly wasn't there this time.

Hearts: Rousset, Weir, Pointon, Mackay, Ritchie, Bruno, Paille (Beckford 78 Fulton, Robertson, Cameron, McCann.

Subs not used: Goss, McManus.

Taken from the Scotsman