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Motherwell v Hearts live online

As a Dundee United supporter, I’ve experienced some great Scottish Cup moments, and some gut-wrenching defeats. Overall though, the competition has allowed me an access to other grounds around the country that I may otherwise never have had the chance to visit -and to see my club play against potential giantkillers.

There have been some dicey moments, for sure, but I often bring out old programmes and recall some great games with a beaming smile on my face. Win or lose, the competition is enthralling. Battles have ensued on many occasions, with clubs often opening up in attack as opposed to putting ten men behind the ball as we see so often in league football.

'The Cup provides a break from the old routine and presents the usual media clichés of romance, classics, blood and guts and, more importantly, dreams'


It may not be the oldest football knockout competition in the world, but the Scottish Cup is definitely the oldest minted trophy, having surfaced in 1885. For United fans and players, the competition is an eerie silver shell full of heartache.

Captains refused to touch it in press shoots, and for over 80 years a gypsy curse was said to hang over the trophy, preventing either of the Dundee clubs from bringing the trophy back to the city. A myth that a Hampden hoodoo existed was way off the mark as United had won at the national stadium before.

Only two years the junior of the English FA Cup, the Scottish Cup is the pinnacle of an often long and monotonous season. Playing rival teams four times every season in the SPL has seen an exodus of fans from ‘nothing’ games, so the Cup provides a break from the old routine and presents the usual media clichés of romance, classics, blood and guts and, more importantly, dreams.

It’s every boy’s dream to lead out his team onto the hallowed turf of Hampden Park and score a last-minute winner. It’s probably the same for everyone, typified by that fictional character ‘Hot-Shot Hamish’ Balfour of Princes Park, who led his team through scandals and scrapes to hold aloft the Holiest of Grails.

I had a great big guffaw at the comments on Sportingo by David Kitson of Reading who claimed he couldn’t care less about the English FA Cup. What player would not want to play in the showpiece finale at their national stadium, with millions watching on TV all over the world?

Kitson may come to regret those words. A talented player with an eye for goal, and a gutsy on-field attitude, his style is synonymous with the spirit of Cup competition. Let’s say if he ever makes it with a bigger club, those kind of comments will come back to haunt him.

This year, the Scottish competition started almost as somberly as Kitson’s Big Night In, but Junior club Linlithgow Rose did provide some romance by reaching the fourth round proper - only to go out 4-0 away to a dogged Queen of the South.

The 2007-08 season has seen a shake-up of the competition, with only the winners representing Scotland in the UEFA Cup.

Two games gave Saturday Sportscene viewers a reminder of what Cup football is all about  last weekend - Falkirk v Aberdeen and Hearts v Motherwell. Falkirk fought back twice to draw 2-2 and send the Bairns into a replay up at Pittodrie, while Motherwell scored a second-half brace to pull back a half-time score of 1-0 and also finish level at 2-2.

In a classic game of two halves, Motherwell, backed by their big support and Mark McGhee’s team talk still ringing in their ears, had to dig deep but proved too determined for Hearts, who looked so dominant in the first half. Phil O'Donnell would have been proud.

Clyde v Dundee United was to be the televised game, but like most of the games, it was postponed due to the weather. The Wednesday replay saw United scramble a 0-1 win to earn a fifth round tie against St Mirren, but it was no cracker. Sky will have regretted showing that game - possible Cup upset or not.

Funniest moment so far has to be East Stirlingshire’s official website claiming they’ve landed a plum fifth-round tie against Hibernian at Easter Road. There is the small matter of beating Glasgow Rangers at Ibrox first - but it proves the Cup never bows to reputations and favours no-one.

So no major shocks this round, but a guaranteed loss of two SPL clubs at least after next week's replays.

Fourth round fixtures:  Tuesday (19.45) - Aberdeen v Falkirk;  Airdrie v Kilmarnock; Brechin v Hamilton; Cove Rangers v Ross County; Motherwell v Hearts; Partick v Dunfermline. Wednesday - Gretna v Morton; Rangers v East Stirling.