Hearts made to fight all the way by brave men from Fife

Clive Lindsay

13 Oct 1999

HEARTS, fresh from the confidence boost given by confirmation of the big-money investment into their club and high praise for their players at international level, were last night brought back down to earth after it took until the final minute before they finally killed off the challenge from a side lying third in Scotland's lowest division.



Police safety fears about their home ground had forced East Fife to move the CIS Insurance Cup tie to Kirkcaldy's Starks Park.

However, despite having to concede home advantage and then losing the match itself, it was Steve Kirk's men who were the deserving recipients of a standing ovation from their fans at the final whistle.

The fans who had followed East Fife up the kingdom's coast still had genuine hopes of their side forcing the tie into extra time right up until the dying seconds, when Hearts substitute Derek Holmes rose to head home a cross from Gary McSwegan to put the Edinburgh side 2-0 ahead and on their way to the fourth round draw.

In these days when, unlike its English counterpart, Scotland's League Cup rarely produces early round surprises, East Fife came far closer to supplying one than the scoreline suggests.

Hearts manager Jim Jefferies was quite right to say that his side had most of the possession and more of the chances, but there never looked to be four divisions between the sides.

Kirk was justified in his praise for his players.

''They can hold their heads up and be proud of their performance'' he said.

''Hearts did a professional job, but they realised they were in a game tonight.

People realise now that we can play a bit and, if we can keep playing like that we have no fears for the rest of the season.'' Jefferies had taken the chance to give fringe players an outing, Frenchman Fabien Leclerq and Rab McKinnon coming into defence and Steve Fulton into midfield.

Indeed, the Fifers should have taken the lead when Leclerq was short with a back pass and Graham Robertson shot weakly against keeper Gilles Rousset.

They paid dearly for that four minutes before the break when defender Rab Shannon upended McKinnon just inside the box and former Raith Rovers midfielder Colin Cameron celebrated his return to Starks Park by sending Willie McCulloch the wrong way from the spot.

East Fife were more attack-minded after the break and midfielder Gordon Forrest, signed from Icelandic side Leiftur 24-hours earlier, should have done better than blast over from 10 yards.

Rousset also produced a superb flying save from a John Cusick drive.

At the other end, McCulloch was producing heroics and defender Damiano Agostini twice cleared off the line before Holmes finally ended their brave resistance.

East Fife - McCulloch, Shannon, Love, Cusick, Agostini, Herd, Logan, Forrest, Robertson, Moffat, McKay.

Substitutes - Honeyman, Ramsay, Kirk.

Hearts - Rousset, Pressley, McKinnon, Severin, Leclerq, Ritchie, Flogal, Fulton, McSwegan, Cameron, Jackson.

Substitutes - Makel, Holmes, Wales.

Referee - K Clark (Paisley).

Clive Lindsay

Taken from the Herald