David was on side of Goliath

IAN WILSON

27 Jan 1997

Hearts 5 Cowdenbeath 0

FORGET giant killing.

This time Goliath won.

Cowdenbeath literally were out of their league, and had Hearts taken all their chances, the Fifers would have lost in double figures.

One David shone - David Weir, whose remarkable progress was underlined by his seventh and best goal of the season so far.

Weir became a professional late on, returning from America after having gained a degree in advertising and marketing.

He was spotted in a Scottish Under-18 schoolboy match.

``There are few better defenders in Scotland,'' said Hearts manager Jim Jefferies, who reckons a full call-up for Weir is now possible.

He signed for Jefferies at Falkirk, and on Saturday, it washis 27-yard strike which killed the game after just 12 minutes.

``I am really enjoying my football here.

It's a breath of fresh air,'' he said.

John Robertson hit a double, taking his first-team tally to 300, and he only missed a hat trick when his last-minute shot hit the inside of a post but somehow ran across the line and clear.

Gary Locke returned, eight months after his knee injury in the 1996 cup final.

How the home crowd willed him to score but, in 85 minutes and clear through, he shot straight at the keeper.

Hearts were three up within 21 minutes thanks to a Colin Cameron header, Weir's strike, and a Robertson penalty.

But 42 more minutes passed before the fourth goal.

Jefferies lamented later: ``We let them off the hook by failing to play short, sharp, simple football.

If we had taken our chances we would have had a barrow load.'' Hearts over elaborated, but in truth, they could not cope with the time and space offered by the Fifers, who, despite the rout, left Tynecastle happy.

``It was a good pay day for the club,'' remarked one official.

The third division side took more than half an hour before forcing Gilles Rousset into a save, thwarting William Stewart - arguably the only visitor who looked comfortable in more illustrious company.

Little changed in the second half despite all six substitutes being used.

The one-way traffic and glaring misses continued, although Neil Russell performed heroics before losing two more goals which fully exposed the gulf in standards.

Robertson scored unchallenged from a corner in 63 minutes, and five minutes later set up Neil Pointon to net from close range.

Hearts play Dundee United in the next round.

Taken from the Herald