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I'm still off the opinion that Meekings deserved to go. He hardly broke stride after the assault and he knew what was coming. The ball was long gone and the intent was clear, although the kick was mucked up and he caught him mostly with his thigh.

 

Anyway, who fekkin cares.

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Absolutely Beastie, and lets not forget that MacDonald made some breathtaking saves as well to keep Hearts in the game.

 

All in, a thoroughly deserved win and one of the most exciting games I have ever seen............albeit on telly :sad: More twists and tales of the unexpected than Roald Dahl could ever have imagined. :clapoverhead:

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One interesting point is that 9 versus 11 actually worked in our favour because Hearts always seemed to provide 4 markers for Billy.      That meant we had 8 ICT players against 7 Hearts players and has resulted in significant abuse by the Jambos for both Locke and Brown. Billy was actually quite remarkable as a team player because he held the ball up so well for the 126 minutes and worked his socks off as did every player. Having seen the tackle on him in the first 5 minutes, I find it a dreadful career threatening one which only seemed to draw a yellow when we complained. 

 

We were Beaton by the referee, but not by nature.

 

I was thinking much the same despite the fact that towards the end I think he was beginning to really struggle.  It is significant that at the death when Hearts should have been really pressing for the win and the ball was crossed from inside the box for McCallum to head over, there were 7 ICT outfield players in the box but only 5 Hearts players.  So Billy and 5 Jambos outside the box.

 

It was also significant that at the end of normal time, the Hearts players looked as though they had lost the game.  OK so they would be gutted that Nick had nicked an equaliser, but with a numerical advantage of 10 against 8 outfield players it was still theirs to lose.  They should have been getting to the manager quickly, eager for instructions as to how to take us apart in extra time.  The difference in commitment and belief between the 2 sides was huge.

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It was also significant that at the end of normal time, the Hearts players looked as though they had lost the game. 

 

That's a very good point. Whilst part of me wondered that by taking it to ET with 9 men we might end up with the final score showing as 4 or 5-2 instead of 2-1, the way our players celebrated the equaliser showed that they weren't thinking that way at all.

 

I also wonder if, having rescheduled their St Mirren game to get Stevenson available for the semi, Hearts got their comeuppance in extra time with more fatigue than they should have had.

Edited by Yngwie
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For all the praise being rightly heaped on the players after that astonishing match, I think it is reasonable to ask why, with such a good all round team performance, we didn't win the match comfortably in normal time against what was not the greatest of Hearts sides. 

 

From the start, things looked good.  I thought Yogi had the team selection spot on and we started out very strongly. But things just didn't go our way.  Had Draper taken his early opportunity I think that team would have over-run Hearts, but bit by bit it began to look as though it might not be our day.  We were unable to convert our chances and it was evident that the referee was the joker in the pack.  Robinson's foul on Mckay should have been a straight red but only a yellow was shown.  The next yellow was for Watkins despite several worse fouls from Hearts players having gone unpunished.  Hearts confidence grew and they came more and more into the match although we always looked the better side and the more likely to score.

 

We then got the break with a wonder strike from Tansey and that really should have been that,  But the referee intervened with the inexplicable sending off of Warren and Hearts got lucky with the resulting free kick which seemed to deflect off both Tansey and Draper to give Brill  no chance.  The rest is history.

 

On another day and with a half decent referee, that starting eleven would have taken Hearts apart.  The way the game unfolded and the incredible performance after going down to 9 men gives me a lovely warm glow and makes me really proud of the team, but what is also extremely pleasing is that yesterday shows we now have a very solid team that really should be able to compete with Aberdeen and Motherwell for 2nd and 3rd place.  One thing that has been lacking is goals from midfield and if others can take a lead from Tansey and shoot from distance as if they mean it, we will score more from that quarter which, in turn will take the pressure off Billy.

 

Yesterday was not just a remarkable football match which will last long in the memory, it was the day which demonstrated we now have a team, with Yogi at the helm, which will take us onward and upward.

 

 

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Did anyone notice how completely shot Paterson was during extra time? Out on his feet and I wonder whether that rescheduled match against St Mirren came back to bite Hearts on the @rse.....

and Wilson too! A combination of the midweek match and having the stuffing completely knocked out of them by a certain Mr Ross! 

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Seeing the hearts players at FT and then when it went to penalties compared to our players was very interesting.

When it went to pens Dean immediately ran out his goal towards the other players.  The hearts players were just lying on the ground.  That was when I thought we've got this!

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Well, nothing much to add really. I'm pretty much still up in the clouds after that!!

 

Hard as it is to single out anyone, they were all brilliant but I must say that Watkins was outstanding imo. A real gem of a find and hopefully he'll be here for a good few years yet.

 

Both sending's off were ridiculous. As Yogi said, if Josh's was a red then the Hearts boy that flew into Billy in the first few minutes was also a definite red.

 

Oh, and why were some worried about Stevenson's availability?? Couldn't quite work out why anyone was bothered about him playing anyway, but I'm so glad they did what they could to get him available. It was his incompetence at the corner, when all they had to do was keep it there, that led to us getting back up the park and equalising. Nice one Ryan!

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Q: For all the praise being rightly heaped on the players after that astonishing match, I think it is reasonable to ask why, with such a good all round team performance, we didn't win the match comfortably in normal time against what was not the greatest of Hearts sides. ..........

 

<snipped content>

 

A: But the referee intervened with the inexplicable sending off of Warren and Hearts got lucky with the resulting free kick which seemed to deflect off both Tansey and Draper to give Brill  no chance.  The rest is history.  On another day and with a half decent referee, that starting eleven would have taken Hearts apart.  

 

Think you asked and answered the question in your own post !!!!

 

I hate nothing more than referees that try to make the game all about them - and i see plenty of that watching MLS week-in and week-out !!!! A good referee should never be noticed until the end when you realise that you don't remember any dodgy decisions. This clown awarded a total of 43 free kicks in the game (roughly twice the average for most games in SPFL), booked 5 Hearts players and 3 ICT players then flashed the red twice at ICT. Anyone looking at just the stats would think it was a dirty nasty game but that's not what I watched. Sure there were some cards warranted, and a good few fouls but this incompetent idiot wanted to be the centre of attention - like he does in most matches he takes part in - and could have not only ruined the game (he failed at that too), but could also have cost ICT a deserved cash injection for reaching the final.  

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Good to see Hearts fans magnanimous in defeat.

 

www.hmfckickback.co.uk/index.php?/topic/137220-ict-fans/

 

Sour grapes....nothing to see here! Also some reasonably sporting admissions of defeat by the better team. The only booing I heard was for that reptile Hammill and his snide time-wasting....poetic justice when Brill saw off his pen! I was a bit perplexed by the "Hearts are going bust" chant on the way out of the stadium - personally I could only think of our team and the final.....Hearts didn't even enter my head.

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