ALL THE BETFRED CUP ACTION:
HIBS HIT SIX WHILE MOTHERWELL SURVIVE A SCARE
Motherwell sealed their progress through to the Betfred Cup second round after a dramatic late comeback saw Stephen robinson’s side avoid embarrassment at the hands of part-time edinburgh City.
elliott Frear struck the winner a minute from time after Chris Cadden cancelled out Ashley Grimes’ shock second-half opener for the hosts.
City, who were only promoted to the professional ranks last summer, had been on course to celebrate the greatest result in their history when Grimes struck against the run of play in the 69th minute.
Aside from conceding, Motherwell had been dominant throughout and their perseverance in attack was finally rewarded in the dying stages.
the victory propels Motherwell through to the second round as Group F winners.
‘I have to give credit to the boys as it was a really sticky pitch and we dug in,’ said robinson. ‘we will play better than this but credit to edinburgh who made it difficult. But we got what we probably deserved in the end.’
Before kick off, the sun shone down at Ainslie Park in what was a pleasant night in the north of edinburgh.
But beneath the exterior of this snug stadium lie tales of giantkilling. landlords Spartans, formerly rivals of City in the lowland league, have taken the scalps of senior sides Morton and Clyde at this venue.
this time it was tenants City who came close to earning a memorable victory.
robinson’s side went into the game in great form, scoring nine goals in their previous two games against Queen’s Park and Morton.
they were without sought-after striker louis Moult, the target of a failed bid from Aberdeen, although robinson did hand a full debut to midfielder Andy rose.
with three tiers separating these sides, part-time City could not afford to be charitable against their Premiership counterparts.
And Gary Jardine’s side heaved a huge sigh of relief with just ten seconds on the clock after David Verlaque gift-wrapped an opening for ryan Bowman.
the former Dundee United trainee’s intended pass back was picked up by Bowman but the striker hit a tame shot at Calum Antell.
that chance set the tone of what was to come, with Motherwell striker Alex Fisher going close with a hat-trick of chances.
the first came after nine minutes when the former Inverness Caley thistle man headed straight at Antell. Fisher then had a left-footed effort from a tight angle saved before sending a looping header just over the bar from a Cedric Kipre delivery.
Former Coventry City playmaker rose was next to try his luck but one-time hibs trainee Antell got down to his close range half-volley.
Fisher went into the game looking to open his account for his new employers and his desperation to find the target was palpable, as was his annoyance with himself.
the forward glanced another header wide in the 31st minute from a Bowman cross when he should have broken the deadlock.
the visitors’ frustration grew, while edinburgh’s belief flourished.
Former Aberdeen player Josh walker had the home side’s first effort on goal after 33 minutes, although his drive from distance cleared the bar.
Marc laird then had a sight of goal after taking in a Moses olanrewaju’s pass but dragged his side-footed shot wide.
robinson made a double change at the break, bringing on Chris Cadden and Craig tanner.
Fleet-footed Cadden made an immediate impression as he used his pace to the byeline but his low cross had no takers.
Antell pulled off a stunning save to palm Fisher’s header over the bar from a Cadden cross but, suddenly, the unthinkable happened. City, who had been on the back foot for nearly all of the game, took a shock lead.
walker showed great composure in his own congested box to pick out Grimes, who sped past Kipre and coolly slotted the ball beyond trevor Carson.
however, the hosts’ joy was short-lived as Cadden’s close-range finish levelled matters in the capital five minutes later.
And Frear left the hosts heartbroken with the winner a minute from time when he connected with Cadden’s cross to seal victory.
on Moult’s absence, robinson added: ‘he has a tight hamstring and we have taken a backward step with him as we have pushed him a bit in the games and he hasn’t had a proper pre-season.’
City manager Jardine said: ‘I told my players I didn’t want this to be a game of damage limitation, so I was delighted the way they set about what is a good Premiership side.’