Motherwell break 50-year duck after extra time

STUART BATHGATE

MOTHERWELL made it through to their first League Cup final in half a century last night, but did it the hard way, losing a two-goal lead to Hearts in the dying minutes of normal time before fighting back in extra time to win the Easter Road semi-final 3-2. It was the third time this season that Terry Butcher’s team have defeated Hearts, but the only occasion on which they have not kept a clean sheet.

Hearts had looked down and out with ten minutes of the regulation 90 remaining, and had been decidedly second best against a Motherwell side whose organisation and attitude were sharper. Their fightback came from nowhere, but once level they could not raise their game again to find the winner.

The opening goal at Hibs’ ground was scored midway through the first half by David Craigan, who headed in a free-kick from Steven Hammell at the far post as the Hearts defence were found guilty of ball-watching. The second for Motherwell was a penalty 12 minutes from time by Richie Foran, awarded after Jamie McAllister had brought down Scott McDonald in the box.

That second strike seemed to have wrapped up the match, but in an extraordinary closing five minutes Hearts struck twice - and both times through substitutes. First Mark Burchill scored, and then, just about halfway through the four minutes of stoppage time, Hjalmar Thorarinsson got the equaliser.

Motherwell had been at their strongest in the first half, Hammell and Scott McDonald both having come close to putting them two up before half-time, while Dennis Wyness came closest for Hearts.

John Robertson’s side had applied themselves better in the second period, and a minute after the restart Saulius Mikoliunas, the young Lithuanian, almost scored the equaliser. That near miss was the first of several as Hearts tried to make the pressure pay, but Motherwell remained well organised and their second goal should have removed the last doubts about who would win through. But Hearts were suddenly energised by the Burchill goal, and when the Thorarinsson scored their second the pendulum had swung in their direction.

Almost inevitably, extra-time was an anti-climax - until, that is, a minute from time, when substitute Marc Fitzpatrick got on the end of a breakaway to score the winner.

"It was unbelievable," said the Fir Park hero, after scoring his first goal for Motherwell. "I just took the ball, put my head down, shot, and it was in the back of the net. I was thinking about where I would put one of the penalties!"

John Robertson, the Hearts manager, blamed the result on "individual errors". He said of the winning goal: "Jamie McAllister is distraught in the dressing room. It was a ball he didn’t have to go for."

He added: "It’s tough to take. The match had virtually everything."

Not since season 1954-55 have the Fir Park side qualified for the final of what is now the CIS Cup, and on that occasion they were beaten 4-2 by last night’s opponents. They did, however, win the competition the only other time they got to the final - in 1950-51, defeating Hibs 3-0.

Hearts, who were bidding to reach their first final since their defeat by Rangers in 1996-97, took solace not only from their fightback, but also from the application shown by Paul Hartley. Having made plain his desire to be transferred to Celtic only to see his present employers knock back the Glasgow club’s bid, the midfield playmaker might easily have been distracted. But, while not quite at the form which has seen him win a place in Walter Smith’s Scotland squad, Hartley did show a professional commitment - and was warmly applauded by the Hearts fans.

But it was deservedly Motherwell’s night. In the two previous rounds they had won away to Inverness and Livingston. They could hardly be accused of having had an easy passage to Hampden for the final on Sunday 20 March.

Motherwell will learn their opponents in the final tonight, when Rangers take on Dundee United in the second semi-final.

Taken from the Scotsman