CIS CUP SEMI FINAL 1st February 2005
AET MOTHERWELL 3 Hearts 2
What a night that was, for all Well fans.
Like a number of fans I missed the first 5 - 10 minutes after getting stuck in traffic going through Edinburgh and having trouble finding a parking space. After a long walk up Easter Road to get to the ground ( and having the misfortune to be caught in the middle of a large group of Hearts fans with their sectarian songs and chants) made it to the ground. Got stuck in a large queue waiting to get in when I heard the game kicking off. Once in, I got to my seat in the lower tier of the South Stand just in time for a Motherwell shot at goal being cleared off the line at the other end of the ground. Then next was Foran running in from the wing and being brought down outside the box. Hammell took the resulting free kick and swing it in to the back post for Craigian to head it down, the ball went past Irn Bru man Craig Gordon and into the net -GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 - 0 Motherwell, the crowd in the South Stand went crazy dancing about and cheering.
The game kicked off again and gradually Hearts came more and more into the game with a few shots wildly off target and Paul Hartley showing why Celtic are after him by diving about and falling as if he had been shot by a sniper!!!!!! There was a few hair and blood pressure raising moments towards half time especially when Marshall dropped a shot, it went along the goal line and Foran booted it to safety, we had made it to Half Time intact.
HALF TIME 1 - 0
The second half started as the first half ended with Hearts dominating and having a few chances and almost giving Well fans, Heart Failure, how Hearts missed some of those chances I'll never know. Then Hearts made 2 changes with Simmons coming on for McFarline and Burchill coming on for Wyness and for Motherwell Clarkson coming on for McBride and Fitzpatrick on for Paterson. Phil O Donnell was booked for having a shot at goal after the whistle had went but nobody else in the ground heard it going either. Then we had a spell of pressure with a few chances, then out of the blue, McDonald runs into the box and is too fast for McCalister and pulls him down, PENALTY!!!!! The fans went delirious. Foran steps up to take the penalty - GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The fans went even more delirious than before. People all around were shouting were going to Hampden.
The game kicks off again with our fans by this point singing "ARE YOU HIBBIES IN DISGUISE???????? "at the Po faced Hearts fans and Motherwell seemed to drop deeper and deeper, and Hearts went further forward. Marshall pulled off some remarkable saves to keep them out, Clarkson missed a sitter right infront of goal, hitting the ball over the bar when it would be much easier for him to score then Hearts scored from close range through Burchill. We all thought we can still hold on. Then hearts brought on a sub, dont have a clue who he was. 2 minutes later up goes the 4th offical with the board for 4 minutes injury time, where the referee the card happy Dougie McDonald (one of the worst ref's in Scotland, and who was letting Hearts away with quite alot)got it all from is a mystery. Just after that Hearts scored again with their sub scoring. The Motherwell end went quiet and amazingly the Hearts fans who were silent for the whole match woke up out of their stupor and actually cheered. John Robertson is out dancing on the pitch like an idiot, you'd think they had won the game Then Hearts ran down the park again and had another couple of chances, but luckily we held on and the full time whistle went, we were in for extra time.
FULL TIME 2- 2
The 1st half of extra time was a blur, Hearts had some chances and Ritchie Foran was booked and promptly replaced by Paul Quinn.
1st Period extra time 2-2
the 2nd half started with more chances for Hearts but Motherwell held on, Scott Leitch did a turn to get a way from 2 Hearts players in a move that would do Man U's Ronaldo proud. then Motherwell started counter attacking, Clarkson ran down the right and crossed to McDonald, McDonald shoots and scores!!!!! or so we thought until the linesman put his flag up. We counter attacked again, and then in the last minute of play, McDonald got the ball on the half way line fed Fitzpatrick on the left he ran and ran, out sprinting the Hearts defence, ran into the box the he shoots, Gordon dives disparingly and HE SCORES!!!!!!! the whole Motherwell end goes totally crazy also Terry Butcher does a John Robertson and is way out on to the pitch and the Hearts end empties with the Well fans waving their scarves and taunting them. Hearts go back to the half way line to kick off the do and just at that THE FULL TIME WHISTLE BLOWS, the Motherwell end goes even more crazy, as do the players and manager.
FULL TIME 3- 2 TO THE MOTHERWELL
Team 1 Marshall, 2 Corrigan, 3 Hammell, 4 McBride (12 Clarkson), 5 Craigian , 6 Partridge, 7 McDonald, 8 Leitch, 9 Foran (14 Quinn), 10 O Donnell, 11 Paterson (15 Fitzpatrick). Subs not used 13 Corr, 16 Fagan
attendance 14069
a few other points
To any Hearts fans - We did not use 4 subs as some of you seem to think (going by message board postings) as Fagan did not come on at all during the game and McDonald (who they all though went off during the 2nd half) scored the "off side" goal in extra time.
WE ARE OFF TO HAMPDEN AT LAST
