A single goal separated Hearts from securing European knockout football for the first time since 1989.
Christmas did not come early for the Jambos support who were eliminated from the UEFA Europa Conference League after a 2-2 draw with Moldovan champions Pertocub at Tynecastle. Neil Critchley's side fell behind to a Sergiu Platica goal in the first half. The home support dared to dream again after James Wilson and Blair Spittal turned the game on it's head. But there was a late sting in the tail withVictor Mudrac converting from the spot seven minutes from time.
Nevertheless, football moves on quickly and the draw for the next round already looms. The likes of Real Betis, Copenhagen and Panathinaikos are set to star in the next round as the European football season reaches the business end. One home nation side did make it through to the play-offs and that is Shamrock Rovers. They missed out on a top eight finish solely on goal difference. The Hoops ended their campaign with a 5-1 defeat to Chelsea, where Mac Guiu hit a first half hattrick. The Stamford Bridge club finished top of the league standings with six wins from six.
Record Sport has everything you need to know ahead of the draw for the play-offs.
When is the Europa Conference League play-off draw?
The draw for the Europa Conference League play-offs takes place on Friday, December 20 at 12 noon at UEFA's base in Nyon, Switzerland.
How can I watch the Europa Conference League play-off draw?
The draw will be streamed live on UEFA.com and we'll have up to the minute coverage right here on Dailyrecord.co.uk as soon as the draw is made.
How does the Conference League draw work?
Clubs that have finished between ninth and 16th in the table will be seeded and will face an unseeded side placed 17th to 24th. The draw starts with the unseeded teams, allocating each team from a pair of unseeded teams to one side of the draw. One ball is taken from the bowl containing the two relevant ranked teams (i.e. the teams ranked 23 and 24) and is opened to display the team. The first team drawn from this bowl is placed in their reserved spot on the silver side of the draw and the other on the green side. Once all the pairings of unseeded teams have been drawn and assigned to a side of the competition, the draw continues with the seeded teams.
When will the Conference League play-offs be played?
Fans will have a wait for the play-offs, with the first legs scheduled to take place on February 13, 2025 and the return ties will be hosted exactly a week later on February 20.