29th July 2017 Hearts v Dunfermline 2-2 (Dunfermline won 3-1 on penalties)

Well, here we are for the deciding game of the Betfred Cup section. Hearts need to win to go through to the next round as group winners while a draw would take Dunfermline through as group winners. In the event of Peterhead winning at Elgin they would clinch second in group behind either Hearts or Dunfermline as group winners.

Things were not looking good for Hearts as last seasons top-scorner Jamie Walker had been dropped from the squad. Jamie is out of contract at the end of the season and two bids for his services from Rangers have already been turned down by Hearts. Hearts management claim the Rangers interest has lead to “a little drop-off in his performance levels and his focus”.

Again the match was played in front of three stands at Tynecastle. I was sitting in Section B Row  9 for the second match in a row. Before the kick-off I met both Pete and Colin, another ex-work colleague, and our optimism was not high after the Peterhead result.

The game started brightly enough and after twenty minutes Hearts took the lead when Kyle Lafferty found Don Cowie just outside the box on the right hand side and he fired a low shot into the far corner of the net. However Joe Cardle equalised ten minutes later when he sold John Souttar a dummy on the edge of Hearts box and then curled a low shot past Jack Hamilton in the Hearts goal.

The mood of the fans changed early in the second half when Dunfermline took the lead. The gaol stemmed from a run on the right hand side of the box and the ball was squared to Declan McManus who fired hime. Boos were beginning to ring out around Tynecastle and Ian Cathro was getting a lot of stick from fans behind the dugout. Hearts huffed and puffed without making the Dunfermline keeper make many saves although Lafferty had an attempt cleared of the line. With four minutes to go Isma equalised after a scramble in the box following a free-kick from substitute Malauray Martin. Cole Stockton fired a late chance wide but Hearts were now out following Peterhead winning at Elgin and Dunfermline going through as group winners. 

As the game had ended in a draw a penalty shoot-out was required under the new BetFred  Cup rules, with the winners gaining an extra point. Before the shootout I was getting annoyed as the stewards were letting people stand on the walkway between the upper and lower sections of the Wheatfield stand. This prevented those in the lower section of the top half of the stand seeing the goal at the Roseburn end unless they stood up. Why did the stewards not do their job and keep the walkway clear? The penalty shootout did not matter but the sequence was :

1 Paton scored low right

2 McGhee over the bar 0-1

3 Lochhead scored left 0-2

4 Lafferty in off right post 1-2

5 McManus  saved by Hamilton as hit towards centre of the goals.

6 Martin high and wide right 1-2

7 Wedderburn with left foot smashed in right 1-3

8 Cowie sent ball over the top

Walked home in a foul mood stopping at Sainsbury’s on the way to buy a bottle of wine to cheer me up. I was all for giving Ian Cathro a chance to bring in his own players and set up his style of play. Now after being unable to qualify from a group containing two part-time teams I am not so sure.

Teams

Hearts: Hamilton,McGhee, Souttar, Berra, M. Smith, Cowie, Buaben,Djoum, Brandon, Isma, Lafferty

Subs: Nowak,Stockton, Martin

Dunfermline: Murdoch, Williamson, Morris, Ashcroft, Martin, Higginbotham, Paton,  Wedderburn, Cardle, McManus, Smith

Subs: Lochhead, M’Voto