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Jorge Grant talks about how Hearts instilled in him the significance of the Scottish Cup.

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4 months ago

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The midfield player knows exactly how important Monday’s match against Morton is to his team.

One of Jorge Grant’s first talks as Hearts manager was about the importance of the Scottish Cup and what winning the competition meant for Tynecastle Park. After thrilling and exuberant finals, the renowned old trophy has made its journey from Hampden to Gorgie three times in the past thirty years. Grant is cognizant of the enormity.

It will be Hearts’ third straight Scottish Cup quarterfinal matchup with a lower-league team, this time against Morton on Monday. There are no casualties on the journey to Greenock after Spartans and Airdrie. Grant remembered how fast the importance of the cup was instilled in him after he joined Hearts from Peterborough United in the summer of 2022.

“When I was coming here, [former manager] Robbie Neilson and Joe [Savage, sporting director] stressed to me what’s expected here and that Hearts have been in a lot of cup finals before,” stated the midfielder. It is imperative that all newly recruited players comprehend the necessity of striving for trophies. Playing in the English lower leagues is different from being here since there aren’t as many trophy opportunities there.

“You are aware of the club’s reputation and the opportunities that await you when you arrive. You want to do it all the time. Because there aren’t many opportunities elsewhere, it can be the turning point in our careers. I want to accomplish it and be able to look back on it in the future. I’ve noticed something strange on Twitter regarding previous Hearts teams winning, so you seem to want that for yourself.”

The great Hearts teams through history were defined by trophy success. The 1998, 2006 and 2012 squads are all considered living legends in Gorgie. “You go down in history at the club if you win a trophy,” acknowledged Grant. “Everyone remembers the moments when a club wins something, so hopefully we can give ourselves that opportunity this year. Obviously, the lads who have been here before and been on cup runs know what’s required.”

Grant’s experiences in English cup competitions did not take him to the latter rounds. “At Notts County, we started out in the first round one season and got to the fifth round. We did well against Swansea, who were in the Premier League at the time, drawing with them at home but then got beat 8-1 in the replay. I’ve also played against Everton and Liverpool in the cups, but never got near a final.”

Morton offer a considerable challenge after beating Hearts’ Premiership counterparts Motherwell in the last round at Cappielow. “It’s important we know what it’s going to be like there, so we have watched them a lot,” explained Grant. “We will have to start the game in the right manner and understand their threats, so we have to bring our game to it.

“It’s a bit of a banana skin, an away tie at a tough place to go and everyone expects us to win so we have to deal with the pressure. I feel we have done that well this season so hopefully we can go there and do the business. We’re in decent form, we’re doing well at the moment, but we can’t be complacent. We know what our qualities are and what we can bring to this game.”

As ever, top goalscorer Lawrence Shankland will be an important figure. He claimed his 28th goal of the season in all competitions in last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Celtic. Only after he let Grant score the opening goal from the penalty spot despite some verbals from the Celtic goalkeeper, Joe Hart.

“I heard what Joe was saying and he was laughing at me too, asking why I was taking the penalty and trying to put me off. He was trying to get in our heads,” said Grant. “I’d watched him before the game so knew if the opportunity came along what I would do. When I scored I just wanted to celebrate the goal [rather than say anything in retaliation]. Scoring goals is something I have always liked doing so celebrating that was good enough for me.

“I think we have that closeness even if obviously people have come and gone from the team. Lawrence is a striker who is always helpful. He was undoubtedly under pressure to lead the club and perform well after the previous season. He has demonstrated that, therefore it is crucial that we continue to work toward providing him with opportunities to win games.

This season, we’ve excelled at taking each game as it comes and avoiding overanalyzing everything. Naturally, performances like the one we had last weekend give you confidence, since we have performed well in those games against Celtic when they have appeared. Hopefully, we can complete the transaction when we reach that stage.”

 

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