24th July 2018 Hearts v Cowdenbeath 5-0
At last a Hearts Game at Tynecastle ! Walked down to the ground arriving around 7.20. Was checking Facebook on my phone after I arrived I saw that Pete had posted a photo of Tynecastle and view looked similar to that from my seat. I turned round and Pete was sitting five rows behind me with his two boys. I wandered up to have a chat with him and we caught up on events over the summer.
Went back down to my own seat for what was a very important game for Hearts. Hearts had earned five points from their first two games agway to Cove Rangers and then Raith Rovers, in Raith game final score was 1-1 but Hearts earned a bonus point by winning a penalty shoot-out under Betfred Cup rules. However Andy Irving had been fielded against Cove without his extended contract having been registered with the Scottish Football Association. An SFA commission had discussed the matter yesterday and Hearts had two points deducted from their total and a £2,000 fine, a further £8,000 fine has been suspended until end of 2020 if a further offence occurs. This means that with only three points now Hearts had to win both their remaining games, at home to Cowdenbeath and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, to win the group.
On Saturday Hearts had drawn at League One Raith Rovers and Craig Levein had promised changes. Calumn Morrison, Andy Irving, Steven Naismith and Seven Mclean came into the starting eleven. It is interesting that four of the thirteen players signed by Hearts since the end of last season were midfield players but none of the four were included in tonights starting eleven. The way the team was listed looked like a 5-3-2 formation but the side lined up in a 4-4-2. Defender Peter Haring was the sitting player in a midfield diamond with Morrison and Irving, now registered with the SFA, further forward and Naismith the point of the diamond playing off Kyle Lafferty and McLean up front.
The first half of the game was terrible with hearts looking ponderous and unable to move the ball around the pitch quickly against the part-time opposition. The turning point of the match came after thirty minutes when Christophe Berra and Martin Scott challenged for a fifty/fifty ball. Scott however went in with his studs up and both players ended up on the ground. When Scott finally got to his feet the referee showed him a red card for dangerous play and sent him off leaving Cowdenbeath with ten men. At this point Hearts withdrew Irving and brought on Anthony McDonald to provide a further attacking option. Before half-time David McGurn in Cowdenbeath goal made a good save from a Haring header and then blocked an effort from Michael Smith at his near post. The half-time came with no goals from either side.
Minutes into the second half Hearts took the lead when Ben Garuccio ran onto a Naismith pass down the left flank and sent a good cross into the six yard box. McLean dived to meet the ball and deflected it into the net of his chest. The Cowdenbeath defenders were appealling for a handball but the ball had clearly come of the strikers chest. Lafferty had been injured against Raith on Saturday and left the field shortly after being replaced by new signing Uche Ikpeazu. Ikpeazu became an instant hero just after the hour mark when he chested down a thrown from Smith on the right hand side of the penalty box, turned and ran along the eighteen yard line to the centre of the goal and fired a good shot into the net for his first competitive Hearts goal. After seventy-three minutes Haring headed a third from an excellent McDonald corner. Minutes later Ikpeazu had a low shot parried out by McGurn and McDonald was tripped by Cowdenbeath centre-half David Marsh. Naismith took the resultant penalty and fired it past McGurn for a 4-0 lead. Hearts continued to press forward and made a number of further chances wth Morrison looking particularly impressive. Morrison had been out on loan to Stirling Albion last season and was scoring goals for fun up until January. A further loan to Championship Brechin City for the remainder of the season was not as successful but I think he has the potential to become a Hearts first team regular. Hearts final goal came with ten minutes to go when substitute Jake Mulraney sped past the Cowdenbeath defender and cut the ball back to Smith about twelve yards out. He shot past McGurn for his second goal in two games, having scored Hearts equaliser against Raith on Saturday. Saturdays goal was his first for two years but like buses if you get one another comes along behind.
The final whistle went with Hearts 5-0 winers meaning that a victory against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Sunday would leave Hearts as group winners. Strangely both sides substituted a substitute during the match. Hearts replaced Irivng with McDonald who was replaced by Mulraney late on. For Cowdenbeath David Cox was replaced by Jordan Sheerin after an eye injury with Sheerin being substituted by Harvey Swann late. I think this is the first time I have seen this happen in a match.
Walked home with a spring in my step and looking forward to Sunday's group decider. I learned later that this was only the second time since 1890 that three debutants have scored for Hearts in the same competitive game. The other was in August 2006 when Maurico Pinilla, Jamie Mole and Andy Driver scored in a 4-1 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. I was there !
Teams
The first half of the game was terrible with hearts looking ponderous and unable to move the ball around the pitch quickly against the part-time opposition. The turning point of the match came after thirty minutes when Christophe Berra and Martin Scott challenged for a fifty/fifty ball. Scott however went in with his studs up and both players ended up on the ground. When Scott finally got to his feet the referee showed him a red card for dangerous play and sent him off leaving Cowdenbeath with ten men. At this point Hearts withdrew Irving and brought on Anthony McDonald to provide a further attacking option. Before half-time David McGurn in Cowdenbeath goal made a good save from a Haring header and then blocked an effort from Michael Smith at his near post. The half-time came with no goals from either side.
Minutes into the second half Hearts took the lead when Ben Garuccio ran onto a Naismith pass down the left flank and sent a good cross into the six yard box. McLean dived to meet the ball and deflected it into the net of his chest. The Cowdenbeath defenders were appealling for a handball but the ball had clearly come of the strikers chest. Lafferty had been injured against Raith on Saturday and left the field shortly after being replaced by new signing Uche Ikpeazu. Ikpeazu became an instant hero just after the hour mark when he chested down a thrown from Smith on the right hand side of the penalty box, turned and ran along the eighteen yard line to the centre of the goal and fired a good shot into the net for his first competitive Hearts goal. After seventy-three minutes Haring headed a third from an excellent McDonald corner. Minutes later Ikpeazu had a low shot parried out by McGurn and McDonald was tripped by Cowdenbeath centre-half David Marsh. Naismith took the resultant penalty and fired it past McGurn for a 4-0 lead. Hearts continued to press forward and made a number of further chances wth Morrison looking particularly impressive. Morrison had been out on loan to Stirling Albion last season and was scoring goals for fun up until January. A further loan to Championship Brechin City for the remainder of the season was not as successful but I think he has the potential to become a Hearts first team regular. Hearts final goal came with ten minutes to go when substitute Jake Mulraney sped past the Cowdenbeath defender and cut the ball back to Smith about twelve yards out. He shot past McGurn for his second goal in two games, having scored Hearts equaliser against Raith on Saturday. Saturdays goal was his first for two years but like buses if you get one another comes along behind.
The final whistle went with Hearts 5-0 winers meaning that a victory against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Sunday would leave Hearts as group winners. Strangely both sides substituted a substitute during the match. Hearts replaced Irivng with McDonald who was replaced by Mulraney late on. For Cowdenbeath David Cox was replaced by Jordan Sheerin after an eye injury with Sheerin being substituted by Harvey Swann late. I think this is the first time I have seen this happen in a match.
Walked home with a spring in my step and looking forward to Sunday's group decider. I learned later that this was only the second time since 1890 that three debutants have scored for Hearts in the same competitive game. The other was in August 2006 when Maurico Pinilla, Jamie Mole and Andy Driver scored in a 4-1 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. I was there !
Teams
Hearts: Zlamal, M.Smith, Souttar, Berra, Morrison, Garuccio, Haring, Irving , Naismith, MacLean, Lafferty.
Subs: McDonald, Ikpeazu, Mulraney.
Cowdenbeath: McGurn, Mullen, Talbot, Pyper, Marsh, Miller, Buchanan, Malcolm, Cox, Scott, Smith.
Subs: Sheerin, Renton, Swann
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