Hearts squander two-goal lead as Motherwell bounce back from tragedy

By BARRY ANDERSON
AT TYNECASTLE
HEARTS 2
Cesnauskis (10)
Velicka (52)

MOTHERWELL 2
Porter (64, 78)
OFF THE MARK: Deividas Cesnauskis celebrates his goal Picture: SNS
OFF THE MARK: Deividas Cesnauskis celebrates his goal Picture: SNS
HEARTS surrendered a two-goal lead in the Scottish Cup on Saturday and must now head to Fir Park for a fourth-round replay with Mark McGhee's defiant Motherwell on Tuesday, January 22.

Whoever prevails will meet Huntly or Dundee in the next round following the fifth round draw conducted at Tynecastle.

Despite a Lithuanian double from Deividas Cesnauskis and Andrius Velicka, Chris Porter was Motherwell's two-goal hero in a game which served as a fitting tribute to the late Phil O'Donnell.

The visitors were applauded from the field by home supporters at the end of a pulsating encounter which lacked nothing in guile or entertainment. Hearts were entitled to bemoan their inability to close the game out from a position of prominence, but the gutsy approach of McGhee's side could only be admired.

They looked a beaten team when Velicka stroked home the second goal but, with Ross McCormack in breathtaking form, recovered to secure a valuable draw and safeguard their place in the Scottish Cup.

The afternoon was guaranteed to be saturated with emotion following the tragic death of O'Donnell. A 3200-strong travelling support took over Tynecastle's Roseburn Stand and applauded Motherwell's poignant pre-match huddle, a last tribute to O'Donnell before their first match without the late midfielder.

FOR PHIL: Motherwell's Chris Porter celebrates his second goal with David Clarkson. Picture: SNS
FOR PHIL: Motherwell's Chris Porter celebrates his second goal with David Clarkson. Picture: SNS
Andy Driver returned for Hearts following a foot injury and Eduardas Kurskis deputised for the club's new player/goalkeeping coach, Steve Banks, who was suffering hamstring trouble. Michael Stewart was also reinstated at the expense of Eggert Jonsson, whilst Calum Elliot's red card against Kilmarnock last week brought him a seat in the stand.

Amidst a spine-tingling cup atmosphere, the game began at frenetic pace and Motherwell fashioned an early opening through McCormack's incisive run. Christos Karipidis misjudged the forward's left-sided cross but the sound positional sense of Christophe Berra ensured Porter's strike was blocked.

Hearts weren't long in imposing themselves and the simplest of finishes from Cesnauskis shunted them in front. Meticulous build-up play involving Stewart, Driver and Audrius Ksanavicius set the Lithuanian scampering towards the goal line. His cross fell at the feet of Cesnauskis for a composed side-footed finish with the right boot, a goal which typified the winger's renaissance since returning to Hearts' first team.

The match ebbed and flowed thereafter with neither side able to attain a frim grip on proceedings. Motherwell's forward forays were largely conducted through McCormack whilst Stephen Frail's deployment of both Cesnauskis and Driver accorded his side useful width inside their opponents' half.

EMOTIONAL: Motherwell manager Mark McGhee applauds the fans at full-time Picture: SNS
EMOTIONAL: Motherwell manager Mark McGhee applauds the fans at full-time Picture: SNS
The interval arrived with Hearts requiring a second goal to have any chance of progressing. It duly arrived seven minutes into the second period from the irrepressible Velicka. Stewart flicked Kurskis' loping free-kick into the path of the Lithuanian, who waltzed past Mark Reynolds and round goalkeeper Graeme Smith to slide home his 11th goal of the season.

Ksanavicius spurned a glorious opportunity in the 63rd minute, heading into the ground when unmarked from Cesnauskis' cross. The diminutive forward was made to rue his profligacy even more moments later when Motherwell reduced the deficit. Tidy inter-passing from Keith Lasley and McCormack produced a square ball which was calmly converted by Porter, and for Hearts a likely winning margin minutes earlier now looked fragile.

McGhee, sensing his side were reinvigorated by the goal, demanded a more urgent approach and the hosts soon found themselves defending on their own 18-yard line. Tension was detectable all around Tynecastle and increased tenfold when Motherwell equalised 12 minutes from time. As Berra and Ruben Palazuelos left a bouncing ball to one another, McCormack's header found Lasley and his subsequent cross allowed Porter to hook his second of the afternoon into the far corner of the net.

Both teams looked nervous during the closing stages. Jose Goncal
ves swept a dangerous ball from McCormack out from his own six-yard area and Velicka's deflected strike looped onto the visitors' crossbar with goalkeeper Smith beaten.

There was to be no late fairytale, though, and Fir Park on Tuesday week will be an attractive prospect if the fare served up at Tynecastle is replicated.

Hearts (4-4-2): Kurskis; Neilson, Karipidis, Berra, Goncalves; Cesnauskis, Stewart, Palazuelos, Driver; Velicka, Ksanavicius. Subs: Bjornsson, Mikoliunas 74 (for Cesnauskis), Jonsson, Wallace 77 (for Driver), Pospisil 87 (for Ksanavicius).

Motherwell (4-3-1-2): Smith; Quinn, Craigan, Reynolds, Paterson; Lasley, Hughes, McGarry; McCormack; Clarkson, Porter. Subs: Meldrum, McLean, Fitzpatrick 90 (for Clarkson), Smith 63 (for McGarry), Murphy.

Attendance: 13,651.

Referee: Stuart Dougal.

Taken from the Scotsman