Battling Fifers go down in extra time

Hearts 4 Dunfermline 1 (after extra time)

DUNFERMLINE were last night knocked out of the CIS Insurance Cup by Hearts at Tynecastle after suffering a dramatic collapse in extra time.

The Pars spent most of the evening trailing to Christian Nade’s first-half penalty but, after putting the Jambos under late pressure, finally equalised with six minutes left when former Hearts player Stephen Simmons headed in.

But, after expending so much energy in getting themselves back into the contest, as so often happens under these circumstances, Hearts ran out winners by a comfortable-looking 4-1 scoreline following goals from Christophe Berra and a Calum Elliot double.

“The first 10 minutes Hearts were dangerous but after that Paul Gallacher didn’t have much to do until the penalty,” said Pars boss Stephen Kenny.

“For 90 minutes it was even but very rarely do teams come back when they go a goal down in extra time.

“I was pleased with the way we played. I brought four teenagers into the team because I felt we needed an injection of energy and youthfulness.

“We’re disappointed to lose, we played well but Hearts are a good side.”

Kenny also claimed his side should have had a penalty in the dying seconds of normal time when Jim Hamilton crashed down inside the box.

He said, “That’s what the players are talking about in the dressing-room but it wasn’t given so we can’t dwell on it too much.”

After a period of early Hearts pressure Simmons was incredibly fortunate to escape a red card on 20 minutes when he launched into a two-footed tackle on Nade 25 yards from goal.

The striker was sent flying but despite howls for a red card from the home crowd, referee Brian Winter decided on a caution.

Michael Stewart stepped up to take the kick but sent his shot over Gallacher’s bar.

Hearts keeper Steve Banks had been largely untroubled throughout the opening stages but looked very relieved to see a Nicky Phinn shot fly over.

The little midfielder picked up possession on the edge of the area and blasted a powerful effort towards goal but it zipped just over.

The Jambos replaced Stewart, who had signalled to the bench he was struggling, with Ruben Palazuelos after only 29 minutes.

Within five minutes Hearts took the lead from the penalty spot.

The Pars defence were left looking very static as Kestutis Ivaskevicius laid the ball through for Elliot and he simply strode past Calum Woods before being scythed to the floor.

Winter had a good view of the incident and immediately pointed to the spot.

Nade grabbed the ball first and firmly planted a low shot past Gallacher.

The Pars came out scrapping and full of intent after the break.

They came agonisingly close to finding a goal within just three minutes when Steve Crawford appeared to have the beating of Tomas Kancelskis as they jousted for a Scott McBride ball, but just as the Pars man shaped to shoot the defender somehow got a block in.

Dunfermline picked up on the rebound and switched play back out to young debutant McBride on the left but his low cross zipped off the turf and just beyond McManus.

Substitute Bobby Ryan, who replaced Iain Williamson on 61 minutes, laid a neat ball through for Tam McManus a minute later but, despite intelligently flicking the ball past Berra, the defender managed to make up ground and boot clear before he got his shot away.

Dunfermline should have equalised in the 68th minute.

A superb Stephen Glass corner kick was flicked on by Crawford at the near post and fell perfectly for Sol Bamba but the big defender got his timing all wrong and missed the ball completely, despite being unmarked six yards out.

It was end to end stuff and Dunfermline survived a major scare in the 75th minute when Elliot played a one-two on the edge of the area and then broke straight through the middle to go one-on-one with Gallacher.

The former Scotland international stood up for as long as he could and made an excellent save to his right.

He was called into action again two minutes later when another one-two, this time involving Nade and Elliot, presented the former with a chance to shoot but again Gallacher stood tall and blocked.

Kenny threw on Hamilton and Owen Morrison on for the last 11 minutes, with Phinn and McBride sacrificed.

Dunfermline piled forward in search of the goal which would take the tie beyond normal time and it nearly came in the 83rd minute when McManus cracked a free-kick off the post from 25 yards.

The Pars only had another 60 seconds to wait, though, before their pressure finally paid off.

Morrison’s corner kick caught Hearts napping and Simmons rose above everyone to bullet a header home with six minutes left.

That sent the small band of fans in the away end into ecstasy, but they had their hearts in their mouths once more before time was up when Robbie Neilson sneaked through on the right side of the penalty box before stabbing his shot wide from six yards.

Dunfermline were screaming for a penalty in the final seconds when Hamilton appeared to be fouled inside the area but the referee wasn’t interested.

The Pars then went out to win the game early on and things would have been different had Banks not got his fingertips to a fine McManus free-kick or had Hamilton not fired wide from 10 yards.

But as it transpired, getting themselves back level had taken too much out of the Fifers and they were defeated with three goals in the space of five minutes as Hearts turned the screw.

First Laryea Kingston’s corner from the right was knocked on by substitute Andrius Velicka for Berra to nod in at the back post.

Then the excellent Kingston picked up on a poor clearance and slipped the ball to Elliot, who slashed a shot across Gallacher into the far corner.

To compound Dunfermline’s misery the young Hearts striker added another on 102 minutes, firing another low effort into the same far corner after picking up Velicka’s through ball.

Attendance: 10,500

Hearts—Banks, Goncalves, Berra, Kancelskis, Neilson, Ivaskevicius (Ksnavicius 65), Jonsson, Stewart (Palazuelos 29), Nade (Velicka 78), Elliot, Kingston. Subs not used— Zaliukas, Kurskis.

Dunfermline—Gallacher, Glass, Bamba, Woods, Young, Simmons, Phinn (Morrison 79), Williamson (Ryan 61), Crawford, McManus, McBride (Hamilton 79). Subs not used—McCulloch, Murdoch.

Referee—Brian Winter

Taken from The Courier