Hearts progressed to their fifth Scottish Cup quarter-final in six seasons after seeing off a spirited second-half showing from Championship bottom-side Hamilton Academical.

John Rankin’s young side rallied after the top-flight visitors completely dominated the first half, but the game was put beyond them when Cammy Devlin stabbed in a second on 79 minutes.

Robbie Neilson’s men will discover their last-eight opponents in Monday’s quarter-final draw.

“These games are always tricky. That’s the reason the game was on TV tonight – hoping for a slip up. Thankfully we’ve managed not to do that,” Neilson told BBC Scotland.

“First half we were in control, but second half we were poor and gave up a few chances. But the most important thing is we’re in the hat on Monday.

“We’ve been in finals in the last couple of years and lost on penalties and in extra-time, just not been able to take the next step. Hopefully this year with the experience we’ve gained we can take the final step.”

In the lead up to the encounter, Rankin was keen to heap the pressure on Hearts despite his side enjoying a recent upturn in form.

That pressure got handed straight back to his defence from the first minute, however, as the Premiership club peppered the home backline during a first half in which Hearts had 79% of possession.

The away side passed up a flurry of early opportunities, with Humphrys squandering three chances far easier than his halfway-line effort against Dundee United last Saturday before converting from a tight angle low at Ryan Fulton’s near post.

For a team who played 120 minutes in a SPFL Trust Trophy semi-final win three days prior, Hamilton did well to respond in the second half, with Lewis Smith slicing wide before Lucas De Bolle rolled a close-range effort straight at Zander Clark.

But it was Hearts who scored the second goal of the tie as substitute Devlin prodded in from just yards out to send the big away following of 3,500 back along the M8 dreaming of cup glory at Hampden in June.

Player of the match – Robert Snodgrass

Wasteful Hearts miss Shankland’s presence – analysis

With top scorer Lawrence Shankland missing through suspension, Neilson challenged his forwards to step up to the plate in the captain’s absence.

Humphrys achieved that somewhat by netting the first goal, but the on-loan Wigan man was wasteful at times, while Josh Ginnelly struggled to get into the game.

With Shankland available, the tie may well have been out of sight by the half-time whistle.

The way in which Hearts briefly lost control of the contest may also be a cause for concern for Neilson, but the strength off his squad was highlighted again as his substitutes helped regain a grip of the tie.

Hamilton certainly have bigger priorities at the moment as they sit at the foot of the second tier, but it is hard to imagine they will finish the season there if they maintain this level of performance.

The defeat brings an end to a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions, but Rankin must take huge pride in what his youthful side produced after the break.

‘We had to show them respect they deserve’ – reaction

Hamilton Academical’s manager John Rankin on BBC Scotland: “I thought first half we were passive and didn’t lay a glove on Hearts. But the second half, I was really proud of them. I thought we were a real threat.

“It won’t dent the confidence. The players have had a tough week and picked up two good results. And tonight I was pleased with the second-half performance.”

Hearts midfielder Robert Snodgrass on BBC Scotland: “They’ve just come off the back off 120 minutes midweek and a good result so it was about showing them the respect they deserve.

“I thought we controlled the game in the first half really well and had a lot of chances and could have scored more. But the lads did really well, a clean sheet and into the next round.”

Sourced From BBC