Jose Goncalves recalls the 2006 semi-final

By STUART BATHGATE
Published on Thursday 17 May 2012 02:44

SEASON 2005-06, the first after Vladimir Romanov completed his takeover at Tynecastle, was the most successful in Hearts’ recent history as they won the Scottish Cup and came second in the SPL.

The penalty shoot-out victory over Gretna in the final was the high point in the sense that it delivered the trophy, but in terms of the football played it was easily eclipsed by the semi-final, in which Hibernian were put to the sword.

Hibs had lost twice in the league to Hearts – 4-0 and 4-1, both at Tynecastle – by the time the semi came round on 2 April. But they had also become the first team to beat their city rivals in the league, so there was no feeling that a Hearts victory was a foregone conclusion.

In the run-up to the match, however, Hibs manager Tony Mowbray lost several important players to suspension and injury. By the time they arrived at Hampden and heard the teams, many Hearts supporters who had awoken with a feeling of doubt were now sure their team would carry the day. And a considerable number of Hibs fans who had been optimistic earlier that morning felt their hopes slowly sinking as the noon kick-off approached. For many who were there that day, the abiding memory is of the imbalance not only in the final score, a 4-0 win for Hearts, but also in the stands, where fans of the Tynecastle team were far more in evidence than their rivals. They were also far more in evidence in the streets around the ground, and had an uplifting effect on their team, as Jose Goncalves recalled.

“It was a massive game, and the atmosphere in Glasgow was amazing,” said the defender, now playing for Swiss club Sion. “The foreign players had known from the time we joined Hearts that it was one of the biggest clubs in the country, but it was not until the team bus turned the corner from the main road into Hampden that we realised just how big. We didn’t realise so many Hearts fans would be there. It was like a wave when you are in the water, so many fans. At that point we knew we had to win the game for the fans.”

It was by no means plain sailing at first for Hearts, who were without the suspended Julien Brellier, the holding midfielder who had been a key component of many of their best performances earlier in the season. And they suffered further disruption during the game, when captain Steven Pressley was injured just before the interval and did not reappear on the pitch for the second half. By that time, however, Paul Hartley had scored the first of his three goals after a lightning counter-attack. From that moment onwards, Goncalves for one was convinced there could only be one winner.

“When Paul scored his first goal, I thought then that the pressure would be too much for Hibs and they would not be able to come back,” he said. “It was always going to be a difficult match for them anyway, but once they were a goal down that was it. They got frustrated and got two players sent off, and we scored three more goals.”

Hartley scored his second direct from a free-kick, exploiting poor positioning from Hibs goalkeeper Zibi Malkowski. Jankauskas got his team’s third when Malkowski inexplicably delayed a clearance and, with a couple of minutes to go, Hartley completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot. Gary Smith was red-carded for that offence, joining Ivan Sproule, who had already been sent off for jumping on Saulius Mikoliunas’ back. “To win 4-0 meant so much for the club and all the fans, not just because it was a semi-final but because it was a derby as well,” Goncalves added. “I didn’t think it would be such a big win, but I was sure we would win. That Hearts team had a lot of experience and a lot of quality too.”

Goncalves himself did not complete the match, like Pressley picking up a head knock. “I got injured chasing a long ball. I was running towards our goal, and one of their strikers pushed me against Craig Gordon and I hit my head on Craig’s shoulder. I was knocked out and was unconscious on the floor for a couple of minutes. I had to go off, but the next day I was okay.”

A surprise selection for the semi, Goncalves was dogged by injuries during his first season as a Hearts player and did not make the final. Partly for that reason, he has fonder memories of the semi. “The semi-final was a bigger game than the final, with a bigger atmosphere. In the final we expected to win 2-0, 3-0 or 4-0. But Gretna had had a good cup run, and the pressure was off them against a bigger team and they gave everything. It’s really difficult playing against a team from the Second Division from a motivation point of view.”

Motivation has never proved a difficulty for Hearts when Hibs are the opposition, and on that April day six years ago they were motivated as never before, in what was then the biggest derby since the 1896 final.

Taken from the Scotsman