The onset of a new year north of the border brings the usual resolutions and weight reduction promises. And, for football fans, the Scottish Cup kicks off in earnest, with the big guns entering the competition for the first time at the fourth round stage.
Its status as the oldest national trophy in world football lends the Scottish Cup a unique place in the history of the beautiful game, and we indulge ourselves accordingly whenever it comes around every season. Last weekend, we savoured it's bow for this campaign, and it served up a few thrills, if not quite the shocks we’d been hoping for.
Of course, the usual clichés get trotted out by managers and fans alike – the cup offers a break from the pressure of a promotion/relegation battle for example. And the so-called romance of the cup is perfectly illustrated by the David versus Goliath clashes often played out on uneven, muddy pitches, at venues quite unused to such large, boisterous crowds.
Players from the lower leagues get the opportunity to test their skills and fitness against more illustrious names from the higher echelons of the game. These days, of course, there’s an undeniable whiff of desperation attached to the tournament, with (for many) advancing into the next round more about appeasing the bank manager than dreaming of a grand day out at Hampden in May.
In that regard, it was Arbroath and Peterhead who had rival club chairmen looking on enviously at the weekend. As these north east clubs attracted Rangers and Celtic to their modest abodes, and the TV cameras were there to swell their coffers further, as well as hoping to capture a bit of giant-killing in the process.
However, it wasn’t to be, and the Old Firm were able to negotiate their way into the next round with relative ease, although the winning margins (four for Rangers, to Celtic’s three) didn’t embarrass their lower division opponents.
For Hibs and Hearts, however, progression to the next round wasn’t quite so straightforward. Hibs may ultimately have secured their first win under manager Pat Fenlon, but they made hard work of it against second division Cowdenbeath. In fact, Hibs fell behind to the quickest goal of the round– a mere 19 seconds from kick-off – and it looked as if a shock was on the cards before the Easter Road club recovered to scrape through 3-2 in a thrilling encounter.
City rivals Hearts made heavy work of seeing off opponents Auchinleck Talbot, taking until the 84th minute to score what turned out to be the winning goal. This fixture more than any other encapsulated what the early rounds of the cup are all about.
Two thousand fans travelled through to the capital from the Ayrshire village (population 3650) to watch the club who play in the junior league give the Tynecastle outfit a genuine scare in what must surely rank as the biggest match in their history. Their day would have been made even more memorable had Auchinleck striker Gordon Pope’s late “goal” not been (wrongly) flagged for offside.
Elsewhere, the matches largely went according to form and league status, with first division Dundee coming closest to an upset after a draw against SPL side Kilmarnock. Meanwhile, Ross County and Dundee United hit the goal trail against lower division opposition.
County scored seven without reply against Stenhousemuir, and United rattled six past Airdrie, who rescued a bit of respectability with two late goals of their own. On Monday the competition was even given an injection of continental glamour, when the 5th round draw was made at Hampden by Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas and Italian World Cup winning manager Marcello Lippi.
Tie of the round sees Rangers host Dundee United, who will be looking to repeat their victory against the Ibrox side en route to lifting the old trophy two seasons ago. Whereas Celtic face a tricky away tie against the winners of the replay between Inverness Caley Thistle and Dunfermline.
Should Terry Butcher’s side prevail in that one, Thistle will have the opportunity to claim the Hoops’ scalp for an incredible third time in recent years. Celtic boss Neil Lennon will be equally keen to avoid the sort of headlines that followed one of those losses, surely the best ever: “Super Caley Go Ballistic, Celtic are Atrocious”!