Robbo gets the right response from Jam Tarts

PAUL KIDDIE

HEARTS duly navigated their way into the semi-finals of the Tennent’s Scottish Cup - but almost lost their way against Livingston.

Not for the first time this season a game which should have been wrapped up long before the final whistle ultimately caused more anxiety than should have been the case.

That won’t be causing too much concern to boss John Robertson today, though, his side having secured a safe passage through to this evening’s last-four draw alongside Celtic, Dundee United and Hibs.

It was mission accomplished and hopes of a repeat of the club’s historic 1998 triumph continue to burn bright.

Two up before the fans had even settled comfortably in their seats, the Jambos should have been in the hat for the next round by half-time in the quarter-final showdown in Gorgie.

Boss John Robertson had been looking for a response from his players following the abject display at Motherwell the previous weekend but he couldn’t have dared hoped that would come with less than 60 seconds on the clock.

Lee Miller was fouled by Gus Bahoken and when Jamie McAllister flighted in the free-kick, the on-loan striker rose above the Lions defence to send a looping header over Colin Meldrum.

If Hearts had been feeling under the weather following their Fir Park defeat, then this was just what the doctor ordered.

Some of their football in the first half was irresistible, with Salius Mikoliunas again the focal point for much of the hosts’ forward thrusts.

With the exception of last week, when the team as a unit misfired, the fleet-footed Lithuanian has quickly adapted to the pace of the SPL and his trickery and invention were constant thorns in the side of the Livingston back line.

He set up Stephen Simmons in the seventh minute only for the midfielder to drag his shot wide of Colin Meldrum’s goal but three minutes later carved out his side’s second. Racing past a pedestrian defence, the youngster struck a deep cross from the right towards Jamie McAllister and the ex-Lion fairly rattled a volley past Meldrum to chalk up his first goal for the club since leaving Almondvale.

The Jambos were rampant at this stage and they should have been celebrating a third just two minutes later when Mikoliunas’ cutback presented Miller with a golden opportunity, the striker lashing his shot over the bar from great position.

Just what must have been racing through Livingston boss Richard Gough’s mind goodness only knows, his bizarre decision to field centre half Greg Strong in attack alongside James McPake backfiring spectacularly.

The former Kilmarnock and Boston United star was promptly restored to his more familiar position after 15 minutes but by that time the damage had been well and truly done.

"We told the players they had a lot to make up for after last week and to go ahead in the first minute was great," said Robertson.

"We could have had four in the first quarter-of-an-hour but we knew we needed a third to make it comfortable. We should have had the game dead and buried by half-time and could have been five or six up by then.

"We deserved to win the game and we’re delighted to be in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup."

Robertson made three changes from the ’Well clash with Mark Burchill making his first start in place of Dennis Wyness, McAllister in for Deividas Cesnauskis and Andy Webster back for the suspended Steven Pressley.

The alterations did little to affect Hearts’ fluency in that impressive opening period, though, and Burchill, who was perhaps trying too hard to make an impression, offered up another good chance after 33 minutes.

McAllister found him in good position after a surging run but the former Celtic star opted to go for goal instead of laying the ball off into the path of the unmarked Miller, who had taken up an even better position on the right-hand side of the box.

Taking a leaf out of Jose Mourinho’s book, Gough gambled with a triple substitution at the interval. Whether it was the changes or the home side’s belief that the job had already been done is debatable - perhaps a bit of both - but it was certainly a different contest after the break.

A dangerous Burton O’Brien cutback on the hour was missed by everyone but the Hearts defence was breached 60 seconds later.

McPake appeared to be in an offside position as Jason Dair’s cross came in to the area but Craig Easton wasn’t caring as he nodded the ball down and in at Gordon’s right-hand post despite the keeper’s valiant effort to keep it out.

Boosted by the hope of salvaging a replay, the visitors enjoyed the lions’ share of possession after that without really threatening Gordon again.

The closest either side came was a curling free-kick from Dair which whistled past the left-hand upright, much to the relief of the home support who must have wondering why their side had made such heavy weather of making the tie safe.

Gough was left to reflect on a brainwave which didn’t go to plan

"I keep trying to say to the boys to keep it tight for the first ten minutes but we gave ourselves a mountain to climb after conceding twice in that period," he said.

"We tried to change things up front with Greg Strong as a target man as we haven’t had much goal threat in recent weeks. But that backfired and it looked at one stage as if we might lose six or seven. I went for broke in the second half with the triple substitution but I wanted to show how disappointed I was in the starting XI. It wasn’t necessarily anything against any of the three players, it could have been any one of six of them.

"We were getting cut open in the first half but after the break I thought we applied ourselves properly and it made a huge difference. I said before the match that it would be great to get into the semi-finals but my priority when I came to the club was to keep Livingston in the Premier Division."

Taken from the Scotsman