Hearts 2 Berwick 1

Hearts survived a real scare as two goals in two minutes finally saw off a brave Berwick side.

The Borderers, famous for their 1-0 Scottish Cup win over mighty Rangers in 1967, really put up a great fight at Tynecastle.

Leading through an 18th-minute goal from Barry Elliot they went close on a couple of occasions and had a very good penalty claim turned down on 48 minutes.

1998 cup winners Hearts eventually produced enough steam to fight back and produce the necessary goals to book their place in the fourth round at home to the winners of next week's replay between Falkirk and Dundee.

The Jambos started this game very positively as they tried hard to bounce back from Sunday evening's 3-0 home defeat to League leaders Celtic.

Tynecastle boss Craig Levein has said he values the Scottish Cup as Hearts' best chance of silverware and within the first few minutes Thomas Flogel had a goal-bound shot charged down and Gary McSwegan saw a shot saved by Berwick keeper Mark McLean.

The best chance of the early stages, though, fell to the visitors from the Second Division as Paul Smith's side went agonisingly close to a seventh-minute opener.

Mark Duthie sent over a great cross from the left and Elliot sent a header inches past the left post with Antti Niemi beaten.

Hearts were shaken by this and Juanjo fired a 20-yard piledriver just over the bar, then Andy Kirk had a shot charged down.

A possible upset looked on the cards after 18 minutes when Elliot gave The Borderers the lead.

Gary Wood found Elliott with a neat pass and the forward ran 30 yards down the left unchallenged before coolly side-footing the ball past Niemi into the home goal.

The travelling support from the Borderers were celebrating as if they had won the cup itself - and who could blame them with two divisions separating these sides.

Hearts were having most of the possession and the better of the chances although on two or three occasions their defence was lucky to escape narrow offside decisions.

As the half drew to a close and the home support became increasingly anxious Colin Cameron played a neat one-two with Robert Tomaschek on 39 minutes.

The Scottish international then hit the return ball towards the roof of the net - but former Celtic youth keeper McLean made an excellent save, turning the ball over the crossbar.

Hearts started the second half brightly and just 60 seconds after the restart Kirk slammed a shot against the inside of a post.

Berwick's Elliot, though, was very unlucky not to win a penalty after 48 minutes after Steven Pressley appeared to bring him down.

It proved decisive. Hearts were beginning to conjure up better chances as the game wore on with both Cameron and McSwegan having shots charged down in the box.

Levein brought on Grant Murray for Robbie Neilson on 59 minutes and the substitute sent a fantastic volley crashing off the left upright with McLean beaten.

The Berwick keeper then produced a save from the top drawer from Cameron's 20-yard shot and just a minute later denied McSwegan what looked a certain goal.

The tension was rising all of the time as the Hearts fans faced the real possibility that their team could slump to possibly their worst Scottish Cup result since a 1982 exit at the hands of Forfar.

But eventually all the pressure on the visitors' goal paid a rich dividend and brought a huge sigh of relief from the majority of the 7,368 crowd.

Austrian international Flogel was the creator and McSwegan repaid his boss for giving him a starting place with a clinical finish.

Hearts were clearly a relieved side and within two minutes Spaniard Juanjo finished off from close range after sub Stephane Adam had set him up.

At the final whistle Hearts were the team progressing into the next round - but the Berwick players deserved the adulation of their travelling support and saluted them for making the journey to the capital.

Teams:Hearts: Niemi, Murray (Neilson 59), Pressley, Petric, Flogel, Tomaschek, Cameron, Boyack (Severin 86), Juanjo, McSwegan,Kirk (Adam 70).

Subs Not Used: McKenzie, Makel.Goals: McSwegan 69, Juanjo 71.

Berwick: McLean, McMartin, Gray, Ritchie, Alan Neill, Forrest (Findlay 80), Neil, Anthony, Duthie (Darren Smith 67), Elliot, Wood (Whelan 80).

Subs Not Used: Pucko, Ronald.

Goals: Elliot 18.

Att: 7,368

Ref: E Martindale (Scotland).


Taken from sportinglife.com