Hearts lose their heads as Bairns profit

Falkirk1(Lovell 59)
HEARTS lost the match, their heads and, judging by the chant that was reverberating around Tynecastle last night, any remaining faith they had in the Scottish Football Association. After a Steve Lovell goal they insist should have been ruled offside, and a decision by the referee to deny them a penalty two minutes later, the frustrated Edinburgh side came off second best in an ill-tempered finale to this Scottish Cup fifth-round tie.

The penalty, in particular, infuriated the home support. When full-back Dean Holden brought down Andy Driver in the box, Dougie McDonald awarded a spot-kick, only to have his mind changed by one of the assistant referees. "That took a lot of balls," said Holden, who wasn't sure if he had played the one that counts. "You are always taking a risk with a challenge like that in the box."

All of which made for a stormy finish in which two players were sent off: Falkirk's Scott Arfield for his sliding tackle on David Obua, and Hearts' Marius Zaliukas for a tangle with substitute Carl Finnigan. Heaven only knows what the Lithuanian defender was thinking of. Not only did he punch Finnigan when he was down – in the face, no less – he flicked out a boot as well, leaving McDonald with no option but to give him his third red card of the season. It was Hearts' eighth in all. Add to that nine yellow cards here, and it was a busy old day for the referee, who seemed to be taking his life in his hands as he made for the tunnel afterwards.

It was Falkirk's first win at the Gorgie ground since April 1995. Steven Pressley, who led Hearts to their 2006 Scottish Cup win, was at the root of a resilient visiting side who grabbed their lead on the hour, and survived a late onslaught. A professional foul by Scotland's assistant manager, just outside his team's penalty area, played no small part in the outcome. Previously commended only for their free-flowing approach, John Hughes' side now seem to have about them a street wisdom that will surely spare them relegation.

Hearts made more chances than their opponents but showed little sign of taking them. Csaba Laszlo started with Eggert Jonsson at centre-forward, even though he has never played there for the Edinburgh club. The manager suggested beforehand that he might have another Fernando Torres on his hands but it didn't quite work out like that. Jonsson was taken off midway through the second half, with barely a shot on goal to show for it.

A failed fitness test by Christian Nade, just about their only striker of any experience, had not persuaded Laszlo to call up David Templeton, the teenager who has been impressive in the reserves. With Gary Glen occupying the hole, maybe that would have been a youngster too many, especially in so important a match. Besides, Jonsson didn't have the best of games against Hamilton seven days earlier, when he filled in for the departed Christophe Berra, and it's not as if any of his teammates have been rattling in the goals.

Glen, though, might be the one to rectify that. He seemed to relish the role just behind Jonsson, timing his runs from deep to great effect. Twice in the first half he strode on to intelligent cutbacks and threatened to score. After Lee Wallace's neat work down by the touchline, Andy Driver skipped past Arfield and hit the byline. From there, he teed up Glen, who drilled it wide. The build-up to his next opportunity was even better, starting with a Bruno Aguiar pass that took out Falkirk's full-back, and continuing with Robbie Neilson's surge into the box. Glen caught his captain's pass first time but the rising shot was palmed over by Dani Mallo.

The longer the game went without a goal, the more Falkirk grew in hope, none of which was misplaced. With half an hour left, a free kick into the box was cleared only as far as Jackie McNamara, whose first-time return into the penalty area was met by Lovell. His header looped over Janos Balogh, came down off the underside of the bar, and according to those with the benefit of a replay, crossed the line. Finnegan, who had been on the field only a few seconds, made sure from close range.

"We don't do offside?" asked Laszlo later, his hands a yard apart to demonstrate the margin of McDonald's error. His question had already been answered, however. Just a few minutes after the goal, when McNamara put Michael Higdon clear, the assistant referee raise his flag. The striker's neat finish was deemed irrelevant.

If Hearts were nursing a sense of injustice, it was quickly fuelled by another controversy, this time at the other end. When Driver dashed into the box from wide on the right, Holden slid in with a tackle that sent the ball out of play and his opponent crashing to the turf. McDonald immediately pointed to the spot, before entering into a discussion with his assistant, a long and protracted debate that culminated in the award of a corner.

Laszlo, who had a sarcastic exchange with the fourth official, later seemed to argue not that the challenge was illegal, but that the referee should have stood by his decision. His counterpart, John Hughes, took the opposite view. "The linesman was absolutely right," said the Falkirk manager. "It was a great tackle. It's commonsense. The officials are a three-man team."

The Hearts manager knew there was nothing else for it but to change his attacking strategy. Laryea Kingston came on for Jonsson, Calum Elliot for Glen, and the last quarter of the match swept in the direction of Falkirk's goal. Aguiar had two efforts that sailed wide, before Kingston's bicycle kick did the same. Like their cup run, it came to nothing.

Taken from the Scotsman