Just after we got promoted we regularly returned home from Gorgie with something to show for our efforts. Our first three visits saw us pick up a pretty handy seven points but since then we've managed just a single point - and that was thanks to Andy Dorman's last minute strike back in 2009. It's a pretty woeful run and we haven't managed to beat them at home for more than a couple of years either. Still, we did knock them out of the League Cup two years ago and repeating that sensational performance tomorrow would surely be enough to book our place at Hampden next month.
This is the first time in this season's cup run that we have been the underdogs going into a match. We were favourites to see off Hamilton and Ross County at the first time of asking and didn't, prevailing in the replay. Our recent tendency to draw games suggests a replay may well be the most likely option tomorrow and managing one this time would be a good result. Hearts' form since they beat us in January wasn't much to get excited about until last week when they managed a fine win at Ibrox, giving everyone apart from the Rangers support another good chuckle. They'll be full of confidence as a result and will start as firm favourites to make the last four. Amusingly it's last minute penalties that have got us both to this stage - Hearts needed one in their replay against St Johnstone while it was Ross County missing one that stopped us being dumped out.
Our run of five league draws has been rather frustrating. We could well have beaten Motherwell and should maybe have sneaked the win against Aberdeen or Inverness Caley Thistle, but against Dundee United and Hibs it seems we were lucky to get a point. We must step up our performance level if we want to remain in the Scottish Cup. The defence have been doing their job - despite being chronically short of manpower - and it is now up to the rest of the team to do the attacking part. We need to get back to creating chances and then the strikers have to take them.
Admittedly there were valid reasons for last week's draw with Hibs - we didn't have many players. Danny Lennon was faced with the choice of playing youngster Jason Naismith or changing system and putting Jim Goodwin into defence. He opted for the latter, possibly because Graham Carey was also injured and Paul McGowan and Dougie Imrie were suspended. With McGowan back (Imrie is cup tied) and Carey maybe returning to fitness he may decide going to a back four may be the best option to accommodate the players at his disposal. Or he may decide not to bother fiddling with a defensive unit that was clearly working and keep Goodwin at the back with Lee Mair and David Barron - except Barron might now be injured.
We need more of a creative force than we had last week so McGowan is likely to start, meaning one of Gary Teale, Kenny McLean, Hugh Murray or Steven Thomson needs to be dropped. If Carey is fit then he'll probably come back in too so that McLean doesn't have to play as a left wing back again - not that Carey's previous efforts there against Hearts a couple of years ago were particularly impressive! If they both come in Teale and Murray are probably the favourites to drop out - although it wouldn't surprise me if Lennon decides to drop Nigel Hasselbaink, despite him scoring our last two goals. Hopefully that means we can at least have a proper bench this week without the likes of Marc McAusland and Darren McGregor on it despite not being fit. Jeroen Tesselaar seemed to be spared that one last week.
The problems at Rangers mean no one really cares too much about Hearts' woes from earlier in the season with their players going unpaid and HMRC taking them to court. It all seems so long ago now and the sale of a few players during January - such as Ryan Stevenson and Eggert Jonsson - should mean the problem doesn't resurface again this season. In the circumstances Paolo Sergio - who replaced Jim Jefferies after a couple of games - has done a good job to get them into the top half of the table. It's unlikely anyone will overhaul them now and Europe is looking good thanks to the implosion at Ibrox.
It is almost inevitable that Craig Beattie will get a goal tomorrow. After his release from Swansea it looked as if he was heading to Saints before Hearts made a move for him and you can just tell we'll be made to pay for that tomorrow. I wasn't particularly fussed about missing out on him as his fitness record isn't the best but it seems he played a key part in the Jambos turning things around at Ibrox last week - although why they signed him after punting John Sutton is a mystery. The only thing more certain than him scoring is Rudi Skacel getting himself on the score sheet. He's managed two hat-tricks against us in the past couple of seasons and also got a last minute winner against us last year. He seems to have stepped into the Barry Robson or Paul Hartley role by always playing a blinder against us.
Ian Black is more well known for his midfield enforcer role but showed the other side of his game last week when he scored a stunning equaliser against Rangers. Andrew Driver also looked more like his old self at Ibrox and he and David Templeton are a dangerous proposition down the flanks, while Susa Santana and Mehdi Taouil can skin people for fun if they're in the mood. David Obua almost scored a screamer against us in Paisley - rumours suggest the woodwork is still shaking - and is capable of the odd piece of magic like that when the mood takes him.
Given our lack of goals this year it is rather unfortunate that Hearts are pretty strong at the back. Andy Webster and Marius Zaliukas have formed a good partnership at the back and are dangerous from set pieces, with Jamie Hammill and Danny Grainger doing a good job in the fullback areas. Issues involving Marian Kello mean Jamie MacDonald is getting a run in goals at the moment and, along with back up Mark Ridgers, is rated as a top prospect for the future.
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