HERO DEN IS BACK IN DREAMLAND

Jan 20 2005

By Anthony Haggerty

DENNIS WYNESS is dreaming of another Scottish Cup fairytale after a glory winner for Hearts.

Wyness struck in the last minute to clinch a 2-1 win and break Partick Thistle's hearts in the third-round replay at Tynecastle.

Jags had taken an early lead through French striker Armand One but Neil MacFarlane levelled before the break and Wyness sealed a fourth-round clash with Kilmarnock.

The striker has had a love affair with the Cup and was in the Inverness Caley Thistle sides that dumped Celtic in 2000 and 2003, hitting the winner in the latter.

But he feared he would become the victim against Thistle.

Wyness said: 'The Cup has been kind to me and given me great personal memories, especially during my time at Caley Thistle against Celtic. Only time will tell if this is my most important goal for Hearts.

'I thought extra time was on the cards and knew there was not long to go when I scored.

'Hopefully we can progress to a final. Were in the semi-final of the CIS Cup and last 16 of the Scottish Cup.

'Whoever avoids Celtic will have a great chance of getting to the Final.'

Hearts manager John Robertson is relishing a meeting with former Jambos boss Jim Jefferies and his No.2 Billy Brown, who guided Hearts to the Cup in 1998.

Robertson said: 'We gave Thistle encouragement by handing them an early goal. It was not an easy tie.

'There were two questionable decisions that would have had us on easy street, and a combination of bad luck and bad finishing, but we got our reward in the end.

'We look forward to Kilmarnock and coming up against Jim Jefferies and Billy Brown,who proved you can win trophies with Hearts.

'I keep hearing how Hearts are having a bad season but if we win our game in hand we will be six points behind Hibs and we are in the semi-final of the CIS Cup and the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.

'If that is a bad season then I will take it any day.'

Jags boss Dick Campbell said: 'I am absolutely gutted at the late goal we lost as we had good possession of the ball.

'I would have been very happy to have gone into extra time but we committed a sin by giving the ball away when there was no problem.

'We did not react to that and they got the break. It's annoying but that's cup football.'