A Hearts v Hibs derby like no other ... the tragedy of Zaliukas, haunted setting and Neilson's moment

Liam Boyce's penalty was the winner for Hearts against Hibs.

The wind was howling, rain lashing, Hampden shrouded by filthy weather and gloom befitting of Halloween and the backdrop of this miserable coronavirus pandemic.

Having football on right now is one of the small mercies we can cling on to, but this occasion felt wrong on so many levels. Usually at this time, the streets around this famous old football ground would be a throng of maroon and green, families decked out in club colours, flags waving, children with painted faces, a mixture of excitement and nerves coursing through fans like power currents. Hampden is usually an electricity grid on such matchdays but all the plugs had been pulled out for this one.

The only person visible as I walked up to the press entrance door was a steward, cowering for cover as the gales picked up. Such was the ferocity of the wind, all points of entry were bolted shut. Once inside, a member of the SFA’s press team joked it was to keep the ghouls out on October 31. The whole place, after all, did feel haunted.

Budge, Dempster and the drumbeat of rain

Inside Hampden, the floodlights twinkled and the pitch looked lush, but with swathes of empty seats, it was hard to compute the magnitude of what we were about to witness.

In attendance were the two teams, medical staff, board rooms of each club, SFA delegates and perhaps 25 journalists at a push. As the teams warmed up, every kick of the ball could be heard to the percussion of rain pattering against the room of the stadium.

At 4.55pm, Hearts owner Ann Budge and her entourage took their seats, well spaced out. Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster and her camp sat to the right of them in the main stand. They were the only givers of applause just before 5pm as the teams emerged to the James Bond theme tune to mark the sad passing of Sean Connery. At that point, very few knew of another tragic bolt from the blue that was going to come less than an hour later.

Collum and Newell, but no 007 joy

There was no crowd noise played at Hampden – a good thing, in my opinion, as we don’t need throw-ins to be greeted with loud, fake cheers – so you could hear absolutely everything. Hibs midfielder Joe Newell and referee Willie Collum struck up a relationship, with the whistler leaving the Englishman clear who is in charge. “Two minutes in and you’re telling me what to do,” Collum said to the smiling Newell, who was by far the classiest football player on the pitch, painting pictures that did not belong in an empty gallery.

The first half was competitive. Hibs No.7 Kyle Magennis ought to have scored and that would’ve been lovely for those looking for Bond puns. Hearts’ No.7, Jamie Walker, had a tough afternoon, ceding his place early in the second half, apparently injured. No quantum of solace from the football gods.

And then, just as half-time arrived, the message came: former Hearts captain Marius Zaliukas had died.

The cruellest of settings

Most attendees were not even aware that the 36-year-old Lithuanian was battling motor neurone disease, one of the cruellest of illnesses. Zaliukas is etched in Hearts folklore, a no-nonsense centre-half who skippered the club to its greatest triumph, a 5-1 Scottish Cup win over Hibs in 2012. Only a cold-hearted scriptwriter could have done this, the news breaking as his team were back at Hampden, playing Hibs. Looking down at the podium where a tearful Zaliukas lifted the trophy eight years ago, it all didn’t feel real.

A lot of 2020 has not been believable, so why should such a nasty twist of fate surprise us. The second half resumed, but for a time the football felt inconsequential. Social media was awash with tributes to a man who arrived in Scotland in 2006 as a rough diamond of a defensive midfielder prone to moments of slapstick but left as a refined defender and a maroon legend.

Penalty points

Matters on the pitch were improving. Hearts drew first blood, Craig Wighton planting a header home. The Hearts contingent erupted. Manager Robbie Neilson roared. His Hibs counterpart Jack Ross looked stony-faced but he was smiling seven minutes later when Christian Doidge levelled matters. Both teams had chances to win it in normal time, but extra time looked a fait accompli well before the final whistle.

The additional 30 minutes is where the drama really unfolded from a footballing perspective. Hibs won a penalty, Nisbet stepped up but his effort smacked the crossbar. Four minutes later, Hearts won one of their own. Liam Boyce, who scored from the spot to send Northern Ireland into the Euro 2020 play-off final, just wasn’t going to miss.

Hearts had nine minutes to hold on. Their experienced players came to the fore. Steven Naismith, who changed the game for Hearts, was the most audible. He morphed into half-talisman, half-referee. “Newell, how can you argue that, it’s a foul mate,” he barked at Hibs’ midfielder after Paul McGinn was a fraction late with an aerial challenge on Andy Halliday. God, Naismith must be a pest to play against.

Neilson’s gesture and the madness of 2020

Neilson exploded with joy as the match ended, embracing coaches Gordon Forrest and Lee McCulloch. As he walked down the tunnel, he took the acclaim of the watching Budge and then appeared to do a cross between a clenched fist and a wee “get it up you” gesture, clearly aimed at the Scottish football authorities for what has happened in the past six months. Who can blame him?

Conversely, you could only feel for the crestfallen Hibs players, who put so much into this match.

Truly, this was a derby like no other. Hearts will now try to win the cup in Zaliukas’ memory – and in a year of such craziness, who would bet against it.

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