Terrors pay the penalty as 10-man Jambos go through to semi finals

1 Nov 2012 08:37
Gary Ralston

TEN man Hearts scraped through to the semi final of the Scottish Communities League Cup after a tense penalty shot out against Dundee United.
Jamie MacDonald is hailed for his penalty heroics Jamie MacDonald is hailed for his penalty heroics

DUNDEE UNITED suffered a spot-kick fright night as 10-man Hearts won a sudden death
shoot-out to book their place in the semi-final.

United full-back Sean Dillon fired the 14th penalty of a tense finale wide of the post as the Jambos celebrated a dramatic victory at Tannadice.

The Tynecastle outfit had played the last 12 minutes of regulation time and the 30 minutes of extra time without midfielder Darren Barr, who was dismissed for his second yellow-card offence.

They held on but there was controversy as United boss Peter Houston refused to hand former Hearts star Rudi Skacel a role in the penalty decider.

Skacel, who came on as a sub in extra time, was sacrificed by Houston as ref Calum Murray correctly asked for only 10 men from each side to line up in the centre circle as the sides prepared to settle the tie.

The game was far from a classic but Hearts showed true grit to hold on a man down after Callum Paterson’s early strike – his third against United this season – was cancelled out before the break by Johnny Russell’s seventh strike of the season.

The teams came out the tunnel to Madness hit One Step Beyond when really the theme tune should have been Embarrassment, such were the gaps around the ground.

It was fitting, perhaps, the stadium resembled a ghost town on Hallowe’en, but who could blame the stayaway fans from both clubs when the match was being broadcast live in the comfort of their own front rooms by the BBC?

The early stages of the game did little to suggest those who were watching from home had made a wrong decision as there was little to get the 3789 crowd excited.

If anything, it was Hearts who started stronger and with Mehdi Taouil keen to dictate from the middle of the park they appeared to have the better balance.

United keeper Radoslaw Cierzniak punched away a cross from the left from winger Arvydas Novikovas as Callum Paterson prepared to pounce, while Jon Daly volleyed over at the other end from a Willo Flood corner.

Even that early it looked as if we were all in for a long, long night but the game finally burst into life on the 20th minute when Hearts took the lead.

Ryan Stevenson had looked dazed and confused minutes earlier when he was involved in a clash of heads as he challenged for a ball in the air with United defender Sean Dillon. But he dusted himself down and popped up on the left, where he was picked out by Novikovas with a pass after John Sutton had won the ball in an aerial duel with Dillon.

Stevenson didn’t hesitate as he fired a low cross to the front post, where teenager Paterson had dashed in front of sluggish Cierzniak to poke his side into the lead.

A raking diagonal pass from Ryan McGowan picked out Danny Grainger on the left and he cut inside and fired in a shot Cierniak somehow managed to bundle around his post.

Flood was then woefully short on 34 minutes with a pass across the park and Taouil stepped in to gleefully grab possession before firing a shot over the top from 25 yards. However, just a minute later United were back in the game with a goal from nothing and which Andy Webster and Marius Zaliukas won’t be rushing to view again anytime soon.

There appeared little danger when a hopeful low cross into the box from the right from Keith Watson dropped at the feet of Michael Gardyne, but he was given time to get a shot off.

It was blocked by the combined efforts of the Jambos defenders, but still fell to Russell who took a step forward before planting the equaliser behind Jamie MacDonald from 12 yards.

The goal sent confidence coursing through United and they twice almost found the net again in the early stages of the second half. Stuart Armstrong was involved on both occasions, firstly volleying wide when a Gavin Gunning cross was punched to the fringes of the box by MacDonald. Moments later, Armstrong cut in from the left and let rip with an effort that flew narrowly over.

The Jambos were stung, but slowly began to find a foothold in the game once more and Taouil forced Cierzniak to beat away a free-kick from 20 yards after curling his right foot effort around the defensive wall.

Paterson was alert again after an hour to connect with a Sutton knockdown off a Grainger cross from the left, but his acrobatic volley bounced off the inside of Cierniak’s right-hand post and back into the arms of the grateful keeper.

United fans were on their feet midway through the second half to welcome the return of Gary Mackay-Steven after a two-month injury absence, but the winger was planted on his backside within 60 seconds by Webster, who earned a booking from Murray for his hefty challenge.

The whistler reached for a yellow card again on 77 minutes, but this time there were more serious implications for Hearts as Barr walked for clattering Russell on the far side of the pitch. It was a needless attempt at a tackle, especially as the midfielder had been cautioned earlier in the second half for catching Flood late.

United were unable to make their additional man count in regulation time and as the match moved into extra time both fans were on their feet to welcome the introduction of Skacel from the bench.

He was given a rousing reception by both sets of fans, who needed something to cheer as the quality of the fare on offer plummeted as Hearts sat in and United struggled to make inroads.

Skacel almost broke the hearts of his former fans when he slammed an effort wide after good work from Mackay-Steven on the left, then John Rankin hit the post with a 30-yard piledriver that had MacDonald beaten before Murray blew for spot-kicks.

Taken from the Daily Record