As soon as the draw for the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup were made, without being disrespectful to the other sides involved, all eyes turned to Tynecastle to see if either half of the Old Firm could be stopped on their way to an inevitable Hampden showdown.
Hearts resistance lasted all of two minutes and the subsequent draw for the semi finals means that the winner of the derby at the national stadium will be heavy favourites to lift the trophy with two lower league sides in the other half.
The biggest shock has seen League 1 Falkirk return to the big stage after several years in the wilderness, thoughts of what might have been in 2015 never far from every Bairns fan’s mind but they might not have sealed a return had it not been for on loan Ranger Kai Kennedy’s long range deflected strike with the game against Ayr United in it’s closing stages.
It takes a huge deflection but it's exactly what Falkirk need!
Kai Kennedy's effort has them only a few minutes away from a Scottish Cup semi-final!#BBCFootball #ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/IxR9dhTNxz
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) March 13, 2023
The post match celebrations leading to an amusing incident with the ball boys as one bravely asked for the match winner’s shirt, the subsequent rejection providing a moment of hilarity for his mates.
The 21-year old is out of contract at the end of this season and for all that he hasn’t done enough to earn a new deal at Rangers, his recent form suggests that he won’t be short of decent offers in Scotland.
Kennedy was the subject of a £1million bid from West Ham United when Steven Gerrard was in charge and he still has plenty of time on his hands to fulfil his early potential, unfortunately though, if he manages to repeat his heroics and Rangers make it through as well, he’ll have to watch from the stands.
It’s always great to see our academy kids doing well, it’s just a shame when it isn’t with us. Kennedy’s progress should be a lesson for every age group player though and that includes the likes of Alex Lowry. Kennedy made the first team and was highly rated by his manager but is now playing in League 1, hopefully though, he gets to catch a few admiring glances and remind everyone why we were so excited about him as a teenager.