Hearts spot on for next round

15 Aug 1996

Hearts 1, Stenhousemuir 1 (After extra time Hearts won 5-4 on penalties)

HEARTS scraped through to the next round of the Coca Cola Cup against Stenhousemuir last night, but manager Jim Jefferies said after the game: "Don't call us lucky." His side went through against a battling Stenhousemuir only after a nail-biting two hours of action which ended 1-1 plus a dramatic penalty shoot-out when even the first round of penalty kicks could not split the teams, especially after Gilles Rousset had brought Hearts back into the match with a fine save when 'Muir were ahead.

It went to sudden death.

Jim Thomson missed his effort and new boy Darren Beckford calmly notched his first goal to put the Tynecastle side through to the next round.

"If we'd had any luck it would never had gone to penalties," said Jefferies.

It wasn't until after 19 minutes that the home side had their first attempt at goal through.

John Colquhoun.

Max Christie was cautioned after 30 minutes for a foul on Pasquale Bruno, and 10 minutes from the break, David Weir suffered a similar fate after a challenge on Adrian Sprott.

However, there was joy for Stenhousemuir three minutes from half-time when they took the lead when Weir challenged and stopped Gareth Hutchison in the penalty area.

Referee George Clyde pointed to the spot, and Sprott made no mistake with the kick.

Hearts substitute Kevin Thomas was inches away from the equaliser as Hearts turned the screw and then Beckford hit the bar with a header.

Two minutes later Beckford touched on a Gary Mackay cross to Neil McCann, and the former Dundee man force the ball home for the equaliser.



HEARTS - Rousset, Frail, Ritchie, Weir, Mackay, Bruno, Colquhoun, Cameron, Robertson, Fulton, Pointon.

Substitutes - Thomas, Beckford, McCann.



STENHOUSEMUIR - Ellison, Sprott, Banks, Armstrong, Thomson, Christie, McKee, Fisher, Hunter, Hutchison, Henderson.

Substitutes - Logan, McGeachie, Stewart.

Referee - G Clyde (Bearsden).

Taken from the Herald