Humphrys the heartbreaker as Accies exit
THEY don’t all have to instantly achieve world renown. Sometimes, all it takes is ensuring you keep your calm and hit the target. Just ask Stephen Humphrys.
At the age of 25, the Hearts forward already knows he will simply never top the extraordinary feat of scoring from well within his own half at Tynecastle last week.
Last night’s follow-up against Hamilton was executed from approximately 50 yards closer to goal and owed something to a goalkeeper who’ll feel he should have done better.
The Englishman may not be telling his grandchildren about this one when he’s old and grey but its value to Hearts as they negotiated a potentially treacherous assignment in Lanarkshire was hard to understate.
With Accies gritting their teeth and giving everything, Humphrys’ goal was all Robbie Neilson’s men had for their efforts until Cammy Devlin stepped in with 11 minutes remaining to settle the affair.
Finalists in the Scottish Cup in three of the past four seasons, Hearts march on to the last eight. For all it took them until late in the evening to confirm as much, they were good value for the victory.
Although still anchored to the bottom of the Championship, Accies were unbeaten in six games going into this.
They’d more than a glimmer of hope here, especially since manager John Rankin had recently added some much-needed experience. Fergus Owens, at 19, was actually the only teenager in their starting line-up.
There was still no understating the scale of the task they faced. Boasting far more experience and out on their own in third place in the Premiership, Hearts had lost just one of their past 12 matches.
In Humphrys, scorer of that outrageous goal against Dundee United, they had a player whose confidence must have been sky high. The on-loan Wigan forward was the natural choice to replace the suspended Lawrence Shankland.
Backed by the biggest-ever away support at Accies’ ground, Hearts tried to get the job done early. Humphrys saw a shot on the turn flash narrowly past the post before Jorge Grant’s strike was deflected wide by Matthew Shiels. Accies, predictably, sat in and saw what questions Hearts could ask of them. They were certainly plentiful. Stephen Kingsley’s header from a corner was blocked by Dan O’Reilly. Desperate to prevent Hearts getting into their stride, Accies conceded a string of free-kicks but defended their box well enough. Generally they channelled their aggression well, although Reghan Tumilty’s crunching foul on Grant brought a deserved booking. Accies didn’t see much of the ball but, in Jean-Pierre Tiehi, they had a player who could carry it at pace to get them up the field.
For as long as the game remained goalless, they still believed.
Humphrys failed to even hit the target after ghosting in unmarked on to Barrie McKay’s corner, then saw a header saved by Ryan Fulton. Grant’s shot was blocked, with James Hill’s follow-up also coming off the heel of Dylan McGowan. But a goal was coming.
Alex Cochrane was the instigator on 29 minutes, feeding McKay. A sharp burst by the forward saw him play in Josh Ginnelly.
Receiving the ball round the corner, Humphrys still had work to do. A couple of touches came before a left-foot strike from ten yards that was decent but not so ferocious that Fulton had no chance of saving it.
Hearts’ attitude had been spot on from the start. It was already hard to see how Accies could get back into the game.
A second goal would have killed it. Kingsley came close to providing it when he motored onto Humphrys’ cross but the ball trickled just wide.
Accies’ search for an unlikely equaliser inevitably left space in behind their defence. Toby Sibbick threatened to punish them with balls over the top for Cochrane. The full-back’s pace and deliveries were begging for a finish that never came.
If there was a criticism of Hearts, it was that their domination did not translate into a handsome lead. They became sloppy just when Accies had their best spell.
McKay was relieved that Shiels didn’t get more behind a shot after he gifted him possession on the edge of his own box.
Sensing it was now or never, Rankin implored the home fans to make more noise. They duly obliged. Lucas De Bolle should have sent them into a state of ecstasy when a cross fell right into his path, but Zander Clark was untroubled.
Robert Snodgrass worked Fulton with a fierce, low strike from the edge of the box. This time the Accies keeper was right behind it.
The game summed up the dangers in not pressing home an advantage. The more an impressive first-half display faded from view, the more the visiting fans had cause for concern.
Hearts sub Yutaro Oda looked like settling the issue with a dart in from the left flank but he dumped his shot in the side-netting.
The game was done as a contest, though, when Devlin struck 11 minutes from time.
Alan Forrest hared to the line and played a percentage ball across the goalmouth. Devlin met it but appeared to show too much of the ball to O’Reilly.
It was a meek attempt at a challenge by the Accies defender. Devlin was able to extend a leg and prod the ball home to complete a tidy night’s work for the Tynecastle side.
STEPHEN McGOWAN IS AWAY
HAMILTON (3-5-2): Fulton; Owens (Winter 70), Dylan McGowan; O’Reilly, Tumilty (Zanatta 70), L Smith (One 61), Martin, De Bolle, Shiels; Stephenson (McGinn 54), Tiehi. Subs not used: Easton, J Smith, Newbury. Booked: Tumilty, Martin. HEARTS (3-5-2): Clark; Hill, Sibbick, Kingsley; Smith (Atkinson 73), Grant (Forrest 58), Snodgrass, McKay (Oda 73), Cochrane; Humphrys (Devlin 66), Ginnelly. Subs not used: Kuol, Kiomourtzoglou, Stewart, Rowles, Halliday. Booked: None. Referee: Kevin Clancy. Attendance: 4,731.