Hearts star Ryan Stevenson: League Cup winner's medal will make up for missing out on Scottish Cup

Anthony Haggerty

THE midfielder passed up the chance to be part of the Tynecastle club's historic triumph but is hoping to make amends on Sunday.

RYAN STEVENSON missed the chance to become a Hearts legend last May – but he’s determined to make his own piece of history at Hampden on Sunday.

Paulo Sergio and his playing squad etched their names in Hearts folklore last year when they trounced city rivals Hibs 5-1 in the Scottish Cup Final at the National Stadium.

The name ‘Ryan Stevenson’ would likely have been one of them had the player not decided to end his first spell in Gorgie just six months earlier.

When Stevenson quit Tynecastle in December 2011 he wasn’t to know the Hearts team-mates he left behind would soon be climbing the famous stairs in Mount Florida to collect winner’s medals.

On the playing side there is sadness on a chance lost but Stevenson has no regrets over the stance he took against Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov.

With the Jambos engulfed in the much-publicised wages row, Stevenson quit in acrimonious circumstances by effectively going on strike and requesting the termination of his contract.

The club refused and the player made it clear he would not play or train until his salary was paid in full.

At the time Stevenson revealed he had to escape Gorgie for the sake of his expectant wife’s health and that of his unborn child.

A month later, in January 2012, he got his wish and left Edinburgh in a £50,000 switch to Ipswich in the Championship.

However, after failing to settle in Suffolk he returned to Hearts eight months later, putting the ink on a three-year deal.

Now Stevenson is determined to make up for lost time and help Hearts capture another piece of silverware in Sunday’s Scottish Communities League Cup Final against St Mirren.

The midfielder said: “I was at the Scottish Cup Final last season as a Hearts fan. It was an amazing day for all of them but there was a bit of me sitting there thinking, ‘I could have been part of that’.

“Even today, I still sort of regret not being part of it. These boys are legends at the club and so they should be.

“I don’t regret the situation as it has probably turned out for the best. I felt at the time it was probably the right decision for me to make with the way things were.

“But to be sitting in the stands and watching your mates pick up a trophy on such a historic day and not be part of it was difficult, very hard to take.

“I went to Hampden as a fan because I supported Hearts. I had great friends, I still have great friends here but it was obviously sad not to be part of that.

“Any footballer would have cut off their right hand to be involved in that final.

“To beat your local rivals 5-1 in a Scottish Cup Final probably won’t happen again. It was great for the boys to do that last year.

“These things don’t happen very often so to be back so soon and have the chance to win another cup will be great for them."
Hearts lifting League Cup would be even better than last year's Hampden rout of Hibs, says Jimmy Sandison

Victory for Hearts this weekend would secure the club’s first League Cup trophy success in 50 years and finally give cup final debutant Stevenson a coveted winner’s medal.

But the 28-year-old insists even if Hearts were to beat St Mirren and land back-to-back trophies it wouldn’t top last year’s Hampden hammering of Hibs.

Stevenson said: “It will be the first time I have been to a cup final as a player. It’s been a long road.

“I’m thoroughly looking forward to it and hopefully come Sunday afternoon I will have a winner’s medal and have created my own bit of history.

“I watched Hearts’ Scottish Cup semi-final win over Celtic at my flat in Ipswich. You saw the celebrations then.

“That was a massive game but then to see them better that by doing what they did to Hibs was something that I don’t think will ever be beaten.”

Stevenson is hopeful that Sunday’s showpiece won’t be his one and only appearance in a cup final – not least because he came back across the border to be a part of such occasions.

He said: “You always believe there is a chance of getting to cup finals. I came back for the bigger matches like the derbies and the ones against Celtic.

“This is another massive one and if we can go and win back-to-back trophies it will be a great two years for the club under the circumstances.

“I’ve signed a long contract and made it clear I want to be here. I could have gone elsewhere but I wanted to come back here.

“I had a great time at Ayr and a lot of people have fond memories of me at that club. That’s what I want to create here as well.

“When I do leave here eventually, when I retire, people can say ‘he did well for the club’. But the only way that that can happen is if you win things.

“Getting to two finals in two years is obviously good but I don’t think it’s out of the ordinary for this club.

“I think Hearts should be doing that and I said so when I first came to the club. The biggest pull was that I was coming to a massive club, having the chance of maybe finishing third, playing in Europe and getting to cup finals so I’ve managed to do that.

“I haven’t got a winner’s medal yet but a lot of good players can go through their careers without ever winning one.

“So getting one would be something you could look back on fondly when you’re older and finished. I desperately want to try and get it.”

Off the field Hearts’ financial woes haven’t gone away but Stevenson does feel vindicated that players have been kept in the loop this time. After all that was one of the reasons he quit in the first place.

He said: “It’s probably worked out for the best because this year the club as a whole has tackled the full problem head on.

“Everything has been so much better, the way the club has dealt with everything. They have been first class, up front with everything. That’s all you can ask.

“They haven’t just kept players informed but the fans and everybody else too. It’s been a mighty old struggle this season for the fans, the club, everybody, so hopefully we can repay them by winning on Sunday.

“All we wanted in previous years was everyone to be honest and this year they have. Everyone knew the situation up front, knew where we stood and that’s really all you can ask.

“If everyone’s honest with each other there won’t be any problems.

“It’s not been the greatest time for us in the league but Sunday gives us a wee outlet and winning the Cup would be a great achievement.”

Taken from the Daily Record