Hearts 4 Elgin City 0

Aug 25 2010 By David McCarthy

THIS wasn't David v Goliath. It was David's wee brother against Goliath's dad.

And Elgin City left their catapults at home.

Hearts won this second-round clash as comfortably as they were expected to and would have doubled the margin had it not been for the heroics of Elgin keeper Steven Dunn, who produced a remarkable first-half display as Jim Jefferies' team threatened to run riot.

He couldn't keep out strikes from Eggert Jonsson, Kevin Kyle, Arvydas Novikovas or Scott Robinson but neither Dunn, his manager nor the rest of the Elgin contingent let themselves down with an organised, battling display.

In the end, though, the gulf in quality was reflected in the scoreline. Hearts did what they had to do. No more, no less.

Jefferies said: "We created a lot of chances and their keeper has had one of those nights - it would have been justice if we had been 5-0 up at half-time.

"But credit to him, he kept it down and at 2-0 we were looking for that goal to kill them off and eventually we got it.

"After that we maybe knew the game was won and people like Kevin tired but wee Scotty came on and had a great finish and 4-0 was well justified.

"With lower-division clubs you are looking for a shock but there was so much of a gulf of class that they did well keeping the score down to four."

Elgin boss Ross Jack said: "We weren't disgraced. It was a great experience for our boys and no one let anyone down."

City arrived in Edinburgh as the worst of the worst - bottom of the Third Division.

They didn't even have history on their side to calm their nerves. A look at the match programme would have told them that in 1939 they came to Tynecastle on Scottish Cup business and lost 14-1.

But Jefferies showed them respect by fielding a strong team. Either that or the Jambos boss has decided it's high time his club won this trophy, having last done so in 1962-63.

Defenders Darren Barr and Marius Zaliukas were out injured but Hearts put out a team that could have featured in the SPL.

The fixture hadn't grabbed the attention of the locals. The stands behind the goals lay empty and there was probably a bigger crowd at some poncy Edinburgh Fringe event featuring the Laddieboys of Banknock. Elgin weren't going to freeze in the atmosphere because there wasn't any.

The visitors started looking compact and organised, prepared to concede possession but deny Hearts space to do much, with Neil MacDonald sitting in front of the back four offering decent protection.

They even won the first corner of the night on their first foray up the park seven minutes in but Janos Balogh's fisted clearance made sure there was no fairytale start to the game.

That jolted Hearts and a storming run from captain Lee Wallace before delivering a cross that Mark Nicolson bravely headed out for a corner led to the opening goal.

Craig Thomson's flag kick was cleared to the halfway line and pumped straight back into the heart of the box where a crowd scene contested it and when the ball dropped on the six-yard line, Jonsson scooped the ball over keeper Dunn with the help of a big deflection.

It was a cruel blow for the part-timers but five minutes later a deflection worked in their favour when a desperate lunge to get a block on a netbound Ian Black strike saw the ball fly just wide. Lithuanian left winger Novikovas was catching the eye with a series of darts down the touchline and in the 20th minute he cut inside to good effect, curling a fine shot inches wide.

It looked only a matter of time before Elgin would be breached again but Dunn did well to deny Kyle a goal with a great block from the big man's downward header after Thomson picked him out with a peach of a delivery.

The 41-year-old did even better to keep out a point-blank Black effort after Hearts' best move of the match had carved Elgin wide open down the right.

Ryan Stevenson was next to curse the keeper, who somehow kept out his six-yard header and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

He wasn't in the 32nd minute, though, when Kyle bulleted another fine Thomson cross into the net from eight yards.

Hearts took a while to get going after the break but the third goal in the 58th minute was worth the wait.

Thomson's ball down the right was cleverly backheeled into Novikovas' path by Kyle and the youngster took a touch before blasting high past Dunn.

To be fair to Elgin, they responded well and Craig Gunn drew a decent save out of Balogh a couple of minutes later.

As the game entered the last 10 minutes Hearts had taken their foot off the gas and were threatening far less. They knew the job was done but Elgin went looking for a consolation.

They didn't get it. The fourth goal of the night belonged to young Hearts sub Robinson with a fine solo effort in the 83rd minute.

The kid, on for Wallace, skipped past a couple of tackles, rounded the keeper and slid the ball into the empty net.

Hearts Balogh 6 , C Thomson 8 , Jonsson 6 , Bouzid 6, Wallace 7 (Robinson 75, 5), Templeton 7 (Suso 75, 3), Black 6 (Mrowiec 78, 3), Palazeulos 6 , Novikovas 8; Stevenson 5, Kyle 7.

Elgin Dunn 8, Edwards 5, Nicolson 6, Kaczan 6, Dempsie 5, Inglis 6, O'Donoghue 7, MacDonald 7 (Frizzel 55, 4) , Wilson 6 (Millar 70, 3), Gunn 6; Crooks 6 (Cameron 60, 4).

Referee - S McLean.

Taken from the Daily Record