Hearts are a little 'unsettled' by change as Scottish Cup expectations weigh heavy

Returning from a back injury, Michael Smith could probably do without the weight of expectation but as Hearts head into this afternoon’s Scottish Cup tie against Livingston, the fact is only a victory will suffice.

It has been a decade since the Gorgie side lifted the trophy and although there have been two finals since (as well as a final and three semi-final appearances in the League Cup), the fact they have shown themselves to be the third best club in the country this season has heightened the demands this time around.

Add to that the fact that many feel the team has some making up to do after a stuttering few fixtures, and the pressure is on.

After a four-game lay-off following the flare up of a back problem that has dogged him on and off for eight years and required a steroid injection, Smith knows what he is walking back into.

“I've said it before, at a club like this we demand trophies. As players and staff we demand it ourselves. We want to pick up some silverware,” said Smith.

“Coming up from [the Championship], if we finish third it'll be a great achievement, but at the same time the Scottish Cup is the one we want to be lifting as well because we've missed out narrowly in the past few years. I would love to get my hands on it personally.”

They came extremely close in 2020, when they took Celtic all the way to penalties. Smith was second up for Hearts and converted his spot-kick but two misses further down the order proved their undoing.

“Yeah, that was pretty painful. We were close last time, going to penalties. It only gives you the experience to go out and do better next time. You know what's there at the end of it. It's a one-off game so we know we have to go out there against Livingston and go for it.”

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