| Date | Wednesday, 23 October 2002 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Heart of Midlothian 3:0 Ross County |
| Venue | Tynecastle Park |
| Attendance | 6,454 |
| Referee | John Rowbotham |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Dave Edwards for the Press & Journal. Heart of Midlothian 3 Ross County 0 Two goals in a four-minute second-half spell ended County's dream of grabbing a League Cup quarter-finals place. County took the game to the Premier League outfit for the last half-hour--but by that time they were 2-0 down from a Stephen Pressley penalty in 55 minutes and a Jean-louis Valois strike four minutes later. Stephen Simmons made it 3-0 for the Jambos with a late strike. County's Conor Gethins came off the bench to inject some much-needed pace up front, while Steven Hislop's strength gave the Hearts rear guard something to think about in the last quarter. The Highlanders were out-classed by their SPL opponents, but received a standing ovation from their far-travelled fans, with keeper Tony Bullock reaping the majority of plaudits. County were dealt an early blow when defender Mark Perry fell ill on the team bus. Perry was sent home, with Paul Deas slotting into his place. Around 1,000 County fans made the trip, hoping for a repeat of last year's result in the same competition when keeper Bullock's penalty took County through. Hearts almost opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Kevin McKenna's header from a Valois corner hit the top of the bar and went over. On the quarter-hour mark, Bullock had to be on his toes to hold a stinging 25-yard half-volley from Neil Janczyk. The Dingwall men were again under pressure when de Vries got on the end of a hanging cross but his six-yard header looped harm-slessly over the crossbar. In the 20th minute, Bullock had to look lively again to get down to field de Vries grounder. The ariel threat of Dutchman de Vries and the trickery of Frenchman Valois were keeping County's defensive trio of Brian Irvine, Martin Canning and Paul Deas fully occupied. A flashing 30-yarder from Stephen Simmons had Bullock scrambling across his goal in the 22nd minute and 60 seconds later a Gary Wales header went inches over the top as the Jam Tarts piled on the pressure. The Dingwall men appeared to weather the storm and Hugh Robertson began to push on through the middle. Hislop tried his luck from distance in 38th minute but Hearts keeper Roddy McKenzie was equal to the task. The homesters broke upfield and once again a de Vries downward header from a Valouis cross went inches past the upright. Bullock came to County's rescue with a magnificent flying save from a fierce Simmons drive three minutes from the break. Early in the second period, Gary Wales saw his 12-yard drive whizz past the post as Hearts came out with all guns blazing. However, Tynecastle erupted in the 55th minutes when Hearts scored from the penalty spot. Gary Wales was upended by Martin Canning in the box and referee Rowbotham immediately pointed to the spot. Stephen Pressley steped up to fire the ball high past the diving Bullock. Four minutes later, the game was virtually over as a contest when Hearts made it 2-0. Paul McMullan's cross was picked up by Jean-Louis Valois and the Frenchman tucked the ball past the helpless Bullock from six yards. It took a brilliant block from Roddy McKenzie to deny substitute Conor Gethins a goal--the keeper diving at the young Irishman's feet just as he was about to pull the trigger. County kept up the pressure and Steven Hislop almost did the trick when his superb angular drive came off the base of the post with McKenzie beaten. Stephen Simmons put the game out of County's reach 10 minutes from time when he gave Bullock no chance with a thunderous 20-yarder. In the final minute, Bullock brilliantly kept out a close-range Valois effort. |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Anthony (Tony) Bullock, 2: Hugh Robertson, 3: Martin Canning, 4: Paul Deas, 5: Brian Irvine, 6: Mark McCulloch, 7: Kenneth Gilbert, 8: Steven MacKay, 9: Steven McGarry, 10: Graham Bayne, 11: Steven Hislop |
| Bench | 0: Leslie Fridge, 0: Sean Webb, 0: Don (JNR) Cowie, 0: Conor Gethins, 0: Sean Higgins |
| Heart of Midlothian | |
| Manager | Craig Levein |
| Starting 11 | Roddy McKenzie, Andy Webster, Steven Pressley 1, Kevin McKenna, Neil Janczyk, Alan Maybury, Stephen Simmons 1, Paul McMullan, Jean-Louis Valois 1, Mark De Vries, Gary Wales |
| Bench | Craig Gordon, David McGeown, David Dunn, Kevin Twaddle, Andy Kirk |