THERE was me thinking it would be tighter than Tom Jones' trousers but Hearts have done nothing other than surprise us this season so perhaps an emphatic victory to smooth progress into the Scottish Cup final should have been more expected.

Admittedly, there was seldom any concern amongst the Tynecastle support over the margin for error. As Hampden Park began to fill yesterday, there was only one dominant group vocally. And they weren't wearing green.
7 Wonders

I noted the gawping patches of empty seats in the Hibs end and, as kick-off neared, the notion that those who had travelled from Leith had done so with a little more trepidation than their neighbours from Gorgie gradually became unshakeable.

This was emphasised after kick-off with a rousing rendition of "sell a' yer tickets, ye couldnae sell a' yer tickets" from the Hearts fans. But far from the match being won and lost in the stands, I'll propose an alternative theory.

For me, the all-Edinburgh semi-final wasn't contested solely on the Hampden pitch. Certain team selection issues decided upon by the managers, Valdas Ivanauskas in particular, over Friday and Saturday had a more significant bearing on the proceedings than most might realise. Firstly, Tony Mowbray didn't have too many options open to him as a consequence of Hibs' extensive injury list, so he went with the strongest XI available to him. That XI was crying out for a cutting edge, however, the sort of predatory instincts of a Riordan or an O'Connor. Without it, Hibs were enfeebled going forward.

Ivanauskas, minus the suspended Julien Brellier and Roman Bednar, was down to the bare bones of his last 33 players. Joking aside, he had one big choice to make and got it thoroughly correct. Then he opted to make another, and again it was completely vindicated.

With Calum Elliot the natural replacement for Bednar, Ivanauskas' main pre-match concern centred around pinpointing a stand-in for the immense figure of Brellier. The Lithuanian went for Bruno Aguiar, a choice which, in the end, couldn't have been bettered. The diminutive Portuguese was a ubiquitous presence between his back four and midfield partner Paul Hartley. He flew into tackles intensely but fairly and, with the exception of long-range Steven Whittaker shots, ensured that no-one from Hibs was permitted any licence to roam in his defensive-midfield zone.

Ivanauskas' other change, one of a more voluntary nature on the part of Hearts' interim head coach, involved dropping Takis Fyssas. Jose Goncalves had been a standout at Falkirk last week but with Andy Webster recovered from illness there would have been few eyebrows raised had the Portuguese been returned to the substitutes' bench.

However, Ivanauskas is swiftly proving himself as one brave and calculated individual as he strives to prove his worthiness to Vladimir Romanov. He reinstated Webster beside Steven Pressley and shunted Goncalves to left-back to cope with the electrifyingly-quick Ivan Sproule.

Subsequently, the Irishman had more impact on Saulius Mikoliunas' spine than he did the entire match and found himself sent off as his frustrations grew. Fyssas, a European Championship winner, was demoted to the bench, although he did ably replace Pressley at the interval.

That's two big calls, Aguiar and Goncalves, and both proved to be absolutely right for Ivanauskas. Dropping Fyssas especially would have taken guts, and the Lithuanian wasn't found wanting.

Whilst Paul Hartley danced a jog of joy around the Hampden turf and rightly took the bulk of the acclaim for his hat-trick, Aguiar and Goncalves were for me the unsung heroes of their side's victory. The choice to play them in the first place ensured Hearts already had one foot in the Scottish Cup final before they had even begun getting stripped for the semi.

So whilst the Tynecastle support reflect on the all-encompassing display of Hartley, they would be well advised to spare a minute's thought for the Portuguese pair, Bruno and Jose.

It's been a few years since those two names rung joyously around Tynecastle during the days of Messrs Pasquale and Quitongo. With Ivanauskas at his astute best, they could be getting a regular airing in the future.

Taken from the Scotsman