Diamonds trump Hearts

Kenny Black, the Airdrie United manager, sent his former club Hearts crashing out of the second round of the Co-operative Insurance Cup last night.

Black, a midfielder at Tynecastle for five years, enjoyed a happy homecoming in Gorgie as his struggling first division side won a penalty shoot-out 4-3 after the game finished scoreless after 120 minutes.

Hearts' new signing, the Uganda internationalist David Obua, missed the final kick for Hearts as Airdrie's players rushed to congratulate goalkeeper Stephen Robertson.
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Black was part of an Airdrie side who beat Hearts in a Scottish Cup semi-final on penalties at Hampden.

Now he is delighted the reformed Airdrie United, brought back to life through the passion and finance of owner Jim Ballantyne, have claimed another famous scalp.

He said: "On effort alone I thought we deserved at the very least to take it to penalties. I'm absolutely delighted for the players and everybody connected with the club.

"We've got a good bunch of players, a lot of them from various clubs who have been released."I like to think of us as a determined bunch who like to prove a lot of people wrong.

"The Ballantyne family have put a lot of money and time in to try to resurrect Airdrie as Airdrie United and we're gladly in the hat for the next round looking for a nice draw.

"Hearts have missed a few chances and our goalkeeper has had two or three fantastic saves in normal time and in extra-time, but I fancied him to save at least one when it went to penalties."

Black said his side could even have been through in normal time, with Paul Di Giacomo's first-half effort seemingly dropping down over the line after it hit the underside of the bar.

He said: "Di Giacomo's one was seemingly a yard over the line, the one that hit the bar. We've got the video there, I've not seen it yet, but that's what the guy has come back and said."

Csaba Laszlo, the Hearts head coach, was dejected but said his team can learn from the defeat. Everybody is disappointed.

"You can't play only good football, you must score. If you go to the penalties, it is a 50-50 chance, like a lottery and we lost it.

"If you have a young team and a good start, you think everything will go along well, but this is not true.

"I think maybe this result comes at the right moment, to wake us up and to know all is not okay.

"If you don't fight, don't give 200%, the opponent is always dangerous.

"Compliments for the opponents, they closed down very good areas and looked for the counter-attacks."

Taken from the Herald