Saints live to fight another day

Paul Behan, Paisley Daily Express

HEARTS 2 ST MIRREN 2

AN own goal from Marius Zaliukas handed St Mirren a Scottish Cup quarter-final lifeline and took this compelling clash at Tynecastle to a replay next week.

Graham Carey fired Danny Lennon’s side into a deserved lead after 27 minutes.

But former Celtic striker Craig Beattie levelled matters with a powerful header 10 minutes later.

Hearts took the lead three minutes after the break when St Mirren’s nemesis Rudi Skacel continued his goalscoring exploits against the Paisley side by heading the Gorgie team into the lead from Beattie’s cross.

But with seven minutes remaining, Nigel Hasselbaink was on hand during a goalmouth melee to see his shot on goal take a deflection off Zaluikas and creep in from four yards out.

There were two changes to the St Mirren starting 11 with David Barron and Hugh Murray making way for Carey and Paul McGowan.

In the first real chance of the match after six minutes, striker Steven Thompson saw his first-time right-foot shot saved by Jamie MacDonald when the visitors picked up a stray pass and piled forward.

It was Thompson who orchestrated the move, finding McGowan, before the Saints midfielder picked out Gary Teale on the right.

Teale played it across the goal and Thommo was there with a low drive from 14 yards but the keeper was equal to it.

Saints midfielder Teale thought his side should have won a penalty moments later when his effort looked to have been handled by Danny Grainger as he collected a Thompson cut-back, but referee Stevie O’Reilly wasn’t convinced.

Then Nigel Hasselbaink burst down the left side and picked out McGowan with a great cross but McGowan scuffed it wide with the goalmouth gaping.

St Mirren’s pressure continued and Dutchman Hasselbaink brought out a super save from MacDonald, racing down the left, turning inside Andy Webster, and unleashing a right-foot angled shot that the keeper got a hand to.

The home side were certainly looking rattled by St Mirren’s fabulous start to the game.

But Andrew Driver brought Hearts back to life, though, when he picked up a return pass from Beattie, spun around in the box, and prodded a low shot off the body of goalkeeper Craig Samson.

Saints won a free-kick 35 yards out when striker Thompson went to ground under Webster’s challenge.

Up stepped Carey – but he blasted his left-foot shot high and wide.

After 27 minutes Hasselbaink won his side a set-piece 25 yards out, when his road to goal was impeded by Webster.

This time Carey delivered a magnificent left-foot shot into the bottom right-hand corner to give Saints a deserved 1-0 lead.

Moments later it could have been 2-0 when Carey’s precision pass picked out Teale on the right again.

Midfield man Teale fired possession across goal, Kenny McLean headed it towards goal, but Zaliukas was there at his near post to head behind for a corner.

The best Hearts could offer at this stage was an Ian Black free-kick from distance that simply sailed all the way into the arms of Samson.

Black and van Zanten had a bust-up towards the main stand touchline that merited a ticking-off from referee O’Reilly.

McGowan saw his turn and right-foot shot blocked by a Hearts defender’s body after he picked up Hasselbaink’s pass, before Hearts equalised.

Grainger whipped in a corner from the right and Beattie, a former St Mirren signing target, peeled off his marker to bullet home a header from six yards out.

Hearts dangerman Skacel replaced Adrian Mrowiec immediately after the equaliser.

And seconds before the break Saints were given a real let-off when Beattie picked up an angled pass from Black before he rattled home what he thought was goal number two via the left hand post.

But the goal was ruled out for offside.

Television replays showed, however, that the goal should have stood.

Early in the second 45 Hearts carved out three quick chances to score. Ryan McGowan and Stephen Elliott combined down the right and the latter saw an angled shot blocked.

Possession only made its way as far as McGowan but his shot took a deflection. Still Saints could not clear and Elliott saw his second effort zip wide.

Hearts, though, would not be denied and former Swansea frontman Beattie picked out that man Skacel to head into the corner to make it 2-1 after 48 minutes.

Hasselbaink’s pace took him down the left side but goalie MacDonald took his low cross without any trouble.

Then van Zanten had to make an important intervention to deny Skacel what would surely have been his second of the afternoon when Ryan McGowan fired in a cross, Jim Goodwin’s backward clearance header fell into Skacel’s path, and the Hearts number 19 had a glimpse of goal.

But van Zanten did enough to deny him a shot at goal.

Murray replaced McLean approaching the hour mark before Beattie should have buried the tie, picking up Ryan McGowan’s pass, spinning past Mair and Goodwin and shooting over from 16 yards.

Thompson was denied a shot at goal by the Jambos defence as he sought to collect an other precision pass from Carey.

And Andrew Driver fired a shot well over target after Black played him in.

Teale sent a right-foot angled shot high and wide as he switched with Hasselbaink to the left flank.

But Saints finally drew level when Hasselbaink’s ball across the face of goal found Teale and the former Wigan man’s shot took a deflection.

It landed nicely for Hasselbaink and the pint-sized Dutchman coolly slotted home at the front post with the last touch coming off Zaliukas.

Saints could have stolen it with a couple of minutes remaining when McGowan connected with a cross from the right, but he could only send it tamely into the arms of MacDonald.