Levein's injury is the downside for Hearts

KEN GALLACHER

31 Aug 1995

Hearts 2, Dunfermline 1

HEARTS captain Craig Levein sat in the dressing room with a brace on his damaged knee as his club celebrated reaching the quarter-finals of the Coca-Cola Cup.

Levein had been stretchered off against Dunfermline 15 minutes from the end and Hearts manager Jim Jeffries said: ''It looked bad. We think that he has damaged his knee ligaments and if that is the case it could be very serious.

''At the moment he has a brace on the knee to hold things in place. Once the swelling goes down we will send him for an X-ray.

''It would be a major blow for the club if he was to be out for any length of time and it would be a tragedy for the player.''

Levein has had a career scarred by serious injuries. This was the last thing he looked for as yet another new era began at Tynecastle.

Thirty-nine-year-old Henry Smith shed the years at Tynecastle to help Hearts into the quarter-finals of the cup. The Edinburgh side edged through, but only some super saves from the seemingly ageless keeper made that possible.

He was magnificent at the start of the second half, and even after his team had gone in front in the fifty-fifth minute, when Dave McPherson scored the goal which eventually proved to be the winner, he continued to defy Dunfermline.

However, while Smith was performing his heroics, Hearts fans worried not just about the result, but also about Levein's injury. The international defender had gone into a tackle with Stewart Petrie and then crashed to the ground. A stretcher was called on and Levein was carried off.

Even without him Hearts were able to survive with Smith taking the hero's role.

The Tynecastle side had signed David Winnie from Aberdeen hours before the game, played him, and the new boy helped to propel them to a second-minute lead.

The goal came when Ivo Den Biemen misjudged a cross as he tried to head the ball back to his goalkeeper and fellow countryman Guido Van De Kamp. The ball dropped short, and there was David Hagen getting to it first and blasting a shot into the roof of the net.

Seventeen minutes afterwards Den Biemen did make up for that mistake. As the Hearts defence tried unsuccessfully to spring an offside trap he moved clear on to a pass from Allan Moore and, with only Smith to beat, guided the ball into goal.

The second half began with signs of the form of Smith which would eventually end Dunfermline's challenge.

He saved from Greg Shaw in 48 minutes and then recovered to smother a shot from Petrie which had been blocked by McPherson.

In 55 minutes Winnie crossed from the right and McPherson shot past Van De Kamp to put the premier division side back into the lead.

And now Smith came into his own.He saved a free kick from Marc Millar, then bettered that with a one-handed save from a Greg Shaw header.

And, from then until the end of the game, he strung together a series of confident saves which kept Dunfermline at bay.

Even in a brief spell towards the end, when Neil Berry had taken over from Levein, and then had to go off himself and Hearts were down to 10 men, the Edinburgh side held firm.

Always the defence seemed aware of the inspiration being provided by the veteran behind them.

Both teams tried their substitutes in that second half. Dunfermline used Derek Fleming to replace Mark McCulloch, and then Neale Cooper took over from Shaw.

Berry was sent on by Hearts for the injured Levein and then Alan Lawrence appeared for the last 10 minutes and John Colquhoun went off.

None of the changes made any great difference to the play.

There were three bookings, Den Biemen of Dunfermline and Winnie and Colquhoun of Hearts.

Dunfermline, meanwhile, are left to concentrate once more on promotion from the first division.

The way they played last night underlined that they are not far away from premier division standard.

Against another keeper, at another ground, on another night, they might have found themselves still in the Coca-Cola Cup.

HEARTS -- Smith, Locke, Winnie, Levein, McPherson, Hamilton, Colquhoun, Mackay, Hagen, Johnston, Robertson. Substitutes -- Lawrence, Berry, Nelson.

DUNFERMLINE -- Van de Kamp, Den Bieman, Millar, McCathie, Tod, Smith, Moore, McNamara, Shaw, Petrie, McCulloch. Substitutes -- Fleming, Cooper, Westwater.

Referee -- KW Clark (Paisley)

Taken from the Herald