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The scheduling on Scottish Cup Saturday allowed a rare occurrence - being able to take in two matches in one day.
The 12.30pm start at East End Park for Dunfermline Athletic v Hibs wasn’t conducive for attending a 3pm game as well - although Kelty Hearts v Cove Rangers wasn’t far away - but it did allow for the opportunity to head over the Queensferry Crossing for the 8pm serving of Hearts v Falkirk.
It’s not often one gets to watch both capital clubs in person on the same day - and even more uncommon is to watch them exit the Scottish Cup at the fourth-round stage.
But that’s what happened. Hearts and Hibs were among the frontrunners for the tournament. Two big clubs have fallen.
We pick out three talking points from a day of cup upsets:
It was a dark day for Hibs head coach David Gray in Dunfermline. | SNS GroupHibs have some problems to solve
Finishing third in the Premiership was a spectacular achievement in head coach David Gray’s first season in charge of Hibs. He was deservedly showered with praise - but the second campaign is often tougher. To be fair to Gray, having Hibs in fifth place and the mix for a European spot should not be sniffed at. We’ve seen Steven Naismith and Barry Robson - who have similar profiles to Gray - fall off a cliff after winning the ‘best of the rest’ mantle at Hearts and Aberdeen respectively.
Hibs had actually been going quite well prior to the Dunfermline match. A 3-2 festive derby win over Hearts sparked their season and gave Gray the ‘statement’ victory that the season had so far lacked. With the Jam Tarts leading the way at the top of the Premiership, it’s been a difficult pill for Hibs fans to swallow. So to be on a five-game unbeaten run appeared to be the start of something promising.
Hibs are a tough nut to crack. Defensively they are well organised. Dunfermline’s winner had the whiff of flukiness about it, a set-piece own goal from Miguel Chaiwa in stoppage time. But what will worry Hibs fans more is that they yet again conceded late - a recurring and damaging trait that has afflicted Gray’s 18 months in charge - and that they couldn’t break down Championship opposition.
Strikers Kieron Bowie and Thibault Klidje missed really good chances. Bowie is being talked up as a £6.5 million striker given Celtic and Rangers’ supposed interest but there is still some rough-edge sanding to be done on the 23-year-old. Physically imposing and good at leading the line, his composure sometimes lacks when he has time. He is better at finishing instinctively. Klidje, the club’s record signing, is doing little to suggest that he is a £1m player. The Togolese is pacey but hasn’t yet adapted to Scottish football.
Martin Boyle is the other striker in the squad and just back from a hamstring injury, it was understandable that he featured only on the bench.
Read MoreWhat must frustrate Gray is the spurning of good chances. But what is also frustrating Hibs fans is the team’s now predictable nature. They like to be direct or focus the play down the left, where the real stardust lies in either Nicky Cadden or Jamie McGrath. Through the middle, while Josh Mulligan has been a stand-out in the league this season, he brings more energy than ingenuity. Hibs lack a defence-splitter in the centre of the park.
We are now in the 18th day of the transfer window and Hibs have yet to make a signing. They’ve been linked with right-back Felix Passlack and striker Bailey Cadamarteri but activity has been thin on the ground. Mulligan was an excellent summer recruit, as were goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger, centre-half Grant Hanley and playmaker Jamie McGrath. Midfielder Dan Barlaser has impressed at times but the jury is out on Chaiwa and Klidje, the two most expensive purchases.
Hibs could do with more, however, especially in the final third. French forward Elie Youan shines sporadically and cannot be counted upon.
The defeat at Dunfermline angered Hibs fans. The cup was a realistic target for this team. You could tell Gray was fuming and refuted claims from his opposite number Neil Lennon that the four changes he made to his starting XI gave the Pars extra hope. He was also quick to point out that this Hibs team haven’t let him down too often.
Fife has not been a happy hunting ground for Gray. Last season he lost at Kelty in the Premier Sports Cup, a result that set the tone for a near-catastrophic start to his reign at Easter Road. This defeat will only add pressure and scrutiny from a band of Hibs fans who are starting to question his methods.
Gray has shown bounce-back-ability in the past. It is easy to forget he is 37 years old, and still a relative rookie when it comes to management. When someone like that is appointed, there has to be acceptance that they will learn on the job for at least a couple of seasons. It’s whether Hibs fans have that patience ... especially with Hearts going so well.
Lawrence Shankland comes off injured during Hearts' defeat by Falkirk. | SNS GroupHearts’ squad to get ultimate test
Speaking of Hearts, let’s move on to the second helping of Scottish Cup football at Tynecastle. Falkirk have been going well this season and are sixth in the Premiership, so this result doesn’t rank as high in the Scottish Cup shock-o-meter as Dunfermline beating Hibs.
Derek McInnes has Hearts six points clear at the top of the Premiership. This has been a remarkable season for the Gorgie side and they went into the Scottish Cup as one of the favourites regardless of the tricky draw. As McInnes said afterwards, losing 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to the Bairns “stings”.
Hearts didn’t play badly at all. They started the game well and had Falkirk on the ropes. The visitors deserve immense credit for the way they repelled them, and the got a foothold in the match. Ben Parkinson’s opener on 59 minutes irked McInnes because the goal came too easily down the flanks. Lawrence Shankland - more about him later - netted from the penalty spot in the dying stages to force extra time. No further goals, so a shoot-out, in which poor Hearts sub Elton Kabangu was the sinner with an effort that skooshed high and wide. Everyone else converted.
Hearts’ issues now come with injuries and suspensions. This was their third game in six days - playing the previous two with ten men - and the toll is now greater than it has ever been throughout the campaign.
Before the Falkirk match, it was revealed that influential midfielder Cammy Devlin - an ever present up until the weekend - will miss at least six weeks with an ankle injury. Given his partner in crime Beni Baningime is suspended for two matches, Hearts suddenly look light in midfield. And then there’s Shankland, who clutched his hamstring during extra time against Falkirk. “Not good,” was McInnes’ assessment on his top scorer and captain afterwards.
Hearts face Celtic in the league next weekend. Devlin and Baningime are definitely out, and Shankland looks likely to miss it too. They are six points clear of both them and Rangers but the task is so much tougher without three vital players.
Read MoreThe trio join midfielders Oisin McEntee and Ageu on the sidelines as well as defender Stephen Kingsley. Hearts have lots of options out wide but in the centre of midfield, they are lighter. Tomas Magnusson is improving week on week but plays higher up than Devlin and Baningime, while Blair Spittal is also an attack-minded player. Harry Milne was trialled as a midfielder against Falkirk but is better out wide.
And then how do you replace Shankland? Kabangu and Landry Kabore could come in, or Claudio Braga could be asked to lead the line and Islam Chesnokov brought in on the flanks. But Shankland brings so much more than just goals. He is this team’s leader. One of their two defeats came at Aberdeen when he was out injured.
Hearts have been active in the winter window already but thoughts must be on whether to bring in another midfielder. Devlin is a massive miss and won’t be available for games against Celtic, Dundee United, St Mirren, Hibs and Rangers and probably Falkirk again. They do not have another player like him.
McInnes has been fortunate with injuries this season. This is the first mini-crisis to solve. The depth and quality of Hearts’ squad is about to be tested.
Nevertheless, despite the pain of exiting the cup, had you offered Hearts a six-point lead after 22 games, he would have bitten your arm off for it. They have some room for manoeuvre in the Premiership title race - and after Saturday, that is their sole focus.
Spartans are doing well under Dougie Samuel. | SNS GroupSpartans are flying the flag
A word must be given to the capital’s sole representative in the Scottish Cup now: The Spartans.
The Ainslie Park club has history in this competition so it wasn’t a complete surprise to see them oust Inverness Caledonian Thistle on penalties at home on Saturday evening, even if they are a division apart.
Goalkeeper Paddy Martin was the Spartans hero, saving two penalties in the shoot-out after 120 minutes of goalless action. They will now relish Sunday evening’s fifth round draw.
Dougie Samuel is the SPFL’s longest-serving manager. And this win over Caley was no flash in the pan. Spartans are top of League Two and set fair for promotion. It has been a great season for the north Edinburgh side - and they now have the bragging rights as the city’s flagbearer in the Scottish Cup.