Dens Park men win thriller.

Weighorst has final say for Dundee

KEN GALLACHER:

21 Sep 1995

Dundee 4, Hearts 4 After extra time. 90min 3-3. Dundee won 5-4 on penalties.

DUNDEE won a penalty shoot-out at Dens Park last night to go through to the semi-finals of the Coca-Cola Cup.

In a quarter-final drenched in drama, Hearts crashed out of the tournament after having clawed their way back into the game on three separate occasions.

But, as their support travelled home, they must have been questioning the eccentricities of veteran goalkeeper Henry Smith.

It was Smith who gifted Dundee their third goal during the regulation 90 minutes just after Hearts had levelled the scores for the first time, at 2-2.

Then it was Smith who became a penalty save hero when he stopped Dundee's third attempt in the shoot-out from Paul Tosh.

Moments later Smith opted to take the Edinburgh side's next kick, blasted a shot off target, and allowed Dundee back into the match.

That glimpse of victory was enough for the Dens Park players.

Ian Anderson, Jim Duffy, and Morten Wieghorst scored from the next three kicks, John Robertson had scored one for Hearts but Willie Jamieson had joined Smith by missing.

Wieghorst's kick was the one which brought Dundee victory.

That goal sparked off a crowd invasion and then, later, a lap of honour for the triumphant Dundee team.

The celebrations in the stands must, however, have been tinged with relief after Dundee had lived so dangerously and come desperately close to losing out on a last-four place in the competition.

They had gone two goals in front before half-time -- and had deserved to be in control.

Both strikes arrived inside a two-minute spell.

Nine minutes before half-time George Shaw moved on to a pass from Tosh before striking a low, angled shot beyond Smith and into the far corner of the net.

Two minutes later the same player struck again after Wieghorst slipped a free kick down the left-hand side of the penalty box for Neil McCann.

The winger crossed and, while Jim Hamilton's shot was blocked, Shaw appeared to ram a low shot into goal.

There were obviously harsh words spoken in the Hearts dressing-room at half time.

Indeed, after the match, manager Jim Jefferies revealed: "I read the riot act to the players at half-time.

There were strong words and I meant every one of them.

The first-half performance was shocking.

It is not up to players to decide when they are going to play and something will be done about that if that attitude continues."

His words worked -- for a time.

In 54 minutes a free kick from John Colquhoun found Dave McPherson, who powered a header into the net.

The centre-half struck a post with another header and in 74 minutes Hearts drew level when Colquhoun scored from close range.

Said Jefferies afterwards: "At 2-2 we were going on to win the game until Henry Smith blundered.

The goal was comical, just bad professionalism."

Jefferies was right, Smith mis-hit a clearance, sent the ball straight to Tosh, and the Dundee striker blasted his side back into the lead.

Now it looked as if Dundee were heading for victory until, with just a minute left, Alan Lawrence burst into the box to level things once more.

On, then, to extra time and within five minutes Wieghorst strolled past two tackles, looked up, then sent a shot soaring beyond Smith and into goal for what will be a candidate for strike of the season.

Yet again Hearts forced their way back into the match.

In 107 minutes Lawrence went down when challenged by Neil Duffy and referee Les Mottram gave a penalty and Robertson scored.

The final scenario arrived with the penalties, with another blunder from Smith, a miss by Jamieson, and Wieghorst's decider.

Now Dundee, who may have lost touch with Dunfermline in the first-division promotion race, are in today's draw for the semi-finals of the Coca-Cola Cup.

There were seven bookings during the game -- Wieghorst, Hamilton, Tony McQueen, and Duffy of Dundee and David Hagen, Robertson, and Gary Locke of Hearts.

DUNDEE -- Pageaud, Farningham, McQueen, Cargill, Wieghorst, N Duffy, Shaw, Vrto, Tosh, Hamilton, McCann.

Substitutes -- Anderson, Bain, J Duffy.

HEARTS -- Smith, Locke, Winnie, Berry, McPherson, Hamilton, Colquhoun, McKay, Robertson, Hagen, Lawrence.

Substitutes -- Jamieson, Leitch, Nelson.

Referee -- L Mottram (Forth).

Taken from the Herald