Clyde .............. 0 Hearts ............ 2
WE ALL went to Broadwood tingling at the prospect of David sorting out Goliath again, but the Big Guy pinched David's sling and left us to spend the afternoon in pleasant sunshine pondering the less important things in life, like eternity, the Big Bang, and Posh Spice.
Sometimes that is the price the voyeur has to pay when the Premier side, in this case Hearts, adopts the right attitude from the off.
The sure thing about these big-team-wee-team ties is that if the quality side applies itself as if they are playing their equals, the result is a certainty.
If, however, even subliminally, they consider the others to be inferior, then they can run into serious bother.
Hearts, whose manager, Jim Jefferies, has been in charge of wee teams in the past and knows a thing or two about the way they will approach these games, got a bad enough fright in the previous round when his team conceded two goals to Stenhousemuir before coming back to rescue their cause.
This time he clearly had them fired up to explode from the first whistle, to such purpose that they were in front before two minutes had passed, thanks to Darren Jackson, and two ahead inside another five minutes, through Gary Wales.
Both goals could be put down to the fact that Clyde were caught at a point when they might still have been savouring the occasion, the crowded ground, the excitement, the presence of the telly cameras, and the prospect of making a name for themselves.
By the time they got around to realising the ball game was on, they were as good as out of the running. The second division league leaders did then show their worth, with some good positive football and an admirable all-for-one attitude but, without any disrespect, our eyes were inclined to wander across to the glorious, unobstructed view behind the goal to the west.
However, the Clyde team, with winger Allan Grant looking very smart indeed, were well due the plaudits they received from all and sundry afterwards.
Of course, the magnanimous praise from Hearts was given after they had made sure the wee team had done no harm, but it seemed sincere enough.
''I knew they would be a decent team,'' said Jefferies, ''and I hate to think what it would have been like for us if they had gone ahead.
''They have brought in players from the Juniors, and it doesn't surprise me that they are doing well. When these lads come from the Juniors to a stadium and park like this, they will want to seize their chance.''
Jefferies felt that the last 15 minutes of the first half was the most delicate time for his team when Clyde really stepped up their effort and had a couple of chances, in particular a clean header that fell to Pat Keogh, but he steered it over the bar.
The second half was very much a case of seeing if the home team could find a way past keeper Antti Niemi, in which case, Hearts might have had a game on their hands, but there was little indication that it could happen.
The Clyde coach, Alan Maitland, made some sensible points afterwards, in particular the fact that while his team had a lot of the ball in the second period. ''I think Hearts were happy to let us have it,'' said Maitland, who was entitled to be annoyed at the loss of the two goals.
''We had three chances to clear the ball before the first goal and the second was also due to bad defending.''
Maitland was correct on both counts. The opener, when Hearts retrieved the ball twice from Clyde players, came after a fine cross by Colin Cameron, which took a wicked bounce in front of goal but did not deceive Jackson, who knocked it over the line.
The second was the result of a superb long ball from Fitzroy Simpson, but it needed some real pace from Gary Wales and a bit of luck, when keeper David Wylie's clearance bounced off him, before the ball was in the net.
Wales and Jackson are working well together, with the old-timer (if he will forgive that exaggeration) doing a tremendous job in backing up and encouraging the young striker. He is also playing superbly himself.
The result is that Wales is growing in confidence with every game. His pace is an obvious asset, but he is also moving cleverly off the ball and making more room for himself.
Jefferies felt Wales was the Tynecastle side's top man, with which I would agree, but the Slovakian midfield man, Robert Tomaschek, who is a tough tackler as well as a good passer of the ball, seems sure to be a major force in the side.
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