Stephen Kingsley still feels Hearts Scottish Cup penalty pain but Celtic encounter is chance to take the next step

Stephen Kingsley admits the scars from being a Scottish Cup penalty shootout sinner are never far from the surface when he takes stock of his career.

The image of burying his head in his hands after young Celtic keeper Conor Hazard clawed away his attempt remains fresh. A 3-3 draw at an empty Hampden in December 2020 went the distance as the Hoops lifted the trophy after spot-kicks drama.

But Kingsley believes he and Hearts can take a step towards redemption this afternoon. He said: “It’s something you’re going to carry for the rest of your life in terms of what might have been. But you can’t really think like that. “It’s happened, it’s gone and if you think about it, it’s always going to be disappointing. But if you get hung up on every disappointment in football no one will have a career because there will be low points in every career.

“It was the previous season’s Scottish Cup final due to Covid. I’d just arrived then a couple of weeks later we’re playing Hibs in the closed-door semi-final at Hampden.

“For myself it’s always going to be disappointing to look back on having missed my penalty. But I think outside of that you can look back and know you gave absolutely everything you had. When it gets to that stage tiredness can kick in and it’s unfortunate how it ended.”

A 3-1 league loss for the Jambos four days ago at Celtic Park won’t be factored into Kingsley’s thinking as he insists his team have shown time and again they can match the champions. He said: “I always feel we’ve given Celtic a game. There have been spells when we’ve been good but there are things we know we need to tighten up and do better if we’re to have any chance of winning.

“Celtic are a top team, a level above at the moment, and the league