Robertson furious at Kilmarnock counters

When Mark Burchill was flagged offside, Alan Combe launched the free kick into the Kilmarnock penalty area, Kris Boyd flicked the ball on, Steven Naismith controlled it on his chest and then rifled a volley high into the roof of the net. As the players raced towards the away fans to celebrate, every member of the Kilmarnock bench leapt on to the pitch in delight, and Brown pumped his fists in relief. The game, their place in the Scottish Cup, was saved.

It was a pivotal moment, and the second time they had come from a goal behind. For Naismith, who last week extended his contract until 2008, it was his first goal for the club. “Great timing,” he grinned. “The best way to end the week.” For John Robertson, it was another incident to rail against, another decision to bemoan. “Everybody in the ground could see Mark Burchill wasn’t offside,” the Hearts manager bridled. It was not his only complaint.

Kilmarnock’s first equaliser came on 25 minutes through Colin Nish, when the striker was waved back onto the pitch after treatment to a broken wrist. The play was on the opposite flank when John Rowbotham, the referee, signalled for him to return to the field, but when Allan Johnston delivered a cross into the box, Nish darted in to score with a header.

“Nobody knew he was back on,” Robertson grumbled. “The linesman said he wasn’t interfering with play, but then he runs 30 yards to score. It was bizarre. Those two decisions cost us a place in the next round. It’s difficult to take. Referees are well protected and there’s nothing we can do.”

Robertson’s ire was perhaps ill-advised. Nish was clearly waved back onto the field when the play was elsewhere and any fault for the opening goal lay with the Hearts defenders who failed to pick him up, and while the offside was marginal, Hearts had enough defenders back to clear the danger from Combe’s free kick. The Tynecastle manager was maybe piqued by the fact that his team had enough chances to win comfortably.

These are the last two teams outwith the Old Firm to have won the Scottish Cup — Kilmarnock in 1997, Hearts in 1998 — and their endeavour to remain in the competition stirred the currents of the encounter. Kilmarnock were dogged and determined, but Hearts played with greater penetration.

Vladimir Romanov is not the only Lithuanian whose arrival at Tynecastle has warmed the supporters’ hearts. Saulius Mikoliunas was lively and effective on the right, the midfielder’s pace and trickery a constant threat. It was from his 16th-minute cross that Dennis Wyness, unmarked in the penalty area, steered a header into the far corner.

Minutes later, from another Mikoliunas delivery, Wyness turned a shot against the upright. Even after Nish’s leveller, Hearts created the better opportunities and the more they pressed, the more agitated the visitors’ bench became. At one stage, one of the Kilmarnock backroom staff jokingly began massaging the shoulders of Cammy Melville, the fourth official, as he tried to keep Jim Jefferies and Brown away from the touchline.

Had it not been for the consistent excellence of Combe, the game could have been beyond Kilmarnock’s grasp. The Rugby Park goalkeeper made a series of important saves, including one from Stephen Simmons’ firmly-struck volley and long-range efforts by Jamie McAllister and Lee Miller. Yet there is only so much one player can do. On the verge of half-time, the excellent Paul Hartley picked the ball up just outside the Hearts penalty area and ran almost the entire length of the field before slipping a pass to Miller, who cracked home an unstoppable shot from 16 yards.

The second half became a battle of wits and wills, but the closer the final whistle came, the more pressure Kilmarnock exerted and it eventually paid off after Stevie Murray and Naismith came off the bench. “We made the change early to have a go,” said Jefferies. “The players gave their all in the second half. And what a time to get the goal.”

The two sides meet again in the league on Saturday and then for the replay the following Wednesday, their third encounter in 10 days. “We’ll be bosom buddies,” added Robertson. He is unlikely to say the same about the match officials.

STAR MAN: Paul Hartley (Hearts)

Player ratings: Hearts: Gordon 6, Neilson 6, Pressley 7, Webster 7, Wallace 7, Mikoliunas 7 (Hamill 73min, 6), Simmons 6 (MacFarlane 84min, 6), Hartley 8, McAllister 6, Miller 7, Wyness 6 (Burchill 78min, 6)

Kilmarnock: Combe 8, Ford 6, Lilley 8, Fontaine 7, Hay 6, McDonald 6, Locke 6 (Naismith 62min, 7), Leven 5, Johnston 6, Invincibile 5 (Murray 62min, 6), Nish 6 (Boyd 39min, 6)

Taken from timesonline.co.uk