Fighting back /Heriot’s advance in Scottish Cup after Accies scare

Heriot’s head coach Phil Smith praised his side’s second-half comeback to defeat Edinburgh Accies in the Scottish Cup first round at the weekend after branding the first half showing “unacceptable”, writes Gary Heatly.

With Heriot’s in the Tennent’s Premiership play-off spots, Accies still without a win in the top flight and Smith’s men having won 71-12 at Raeurn Place back in September, all clues pointed to a home win in the knockout tie at Goldenacre.

However, Accies have some good young players who like to attack from everywhere and, in the first half, they were on top.

Indeed, Heriot’s had to come from 20-12 down at half-time to progress.

An early Richard Mill penalty and then a try by Callum Black put Accies 8-0 up and further tries from Cammy Gray – after a good break by young Jack Mann – and Robert Wilson gave the visitors the eight-point cushion at the break.

However, the home side came out flying after the break and scored 17 unanswered points to progress 29-20.

The Heriot’s tries during the match were scored by Alex Ball, Ali Johnstone, Andrew Simmers and skipper Iain

0 Cameron Lineen, the son of Sean, looks to sidestep Accies’ Robbie Kent during Saturday’s Edinburgh cup derby at Goldenacre.

Wilson. Smith said: “It was an unacceptable first half performance from us, to be honest.

After the half-time break the guys played as we know they can, but we know that we need to start games better than we did this one over the next few weeks.”

Watsonians had a comfortable afternoon, the Myreside

men putting in a professional showing to get the better of Marr. They were 38-0 up at half-time and won 62-5. On a day when Andrew Chalmers made his 100th appearance for the first XV, the hosts scored ten tries and Murray Scott and Angus Guthrie both grabbed doubles. Lomond Macpherson, Gregor Nelson and Ewan Fox

were among the other scorers. Currie Chieftains were on the road to GHA and Ben Cairns’ men returned to Malleny Park from Braidholm with a 36-0 win under their belts.

Four first-half tries set-up Hawick to defeat old rivals Gala 52-14 at Mansfield Park.

A penalty try and efforts from Matty Carryer, Lee

Armstrong and Bruce Mcneil made it 24-0 after 40 minutes. Kirk Ford, Shawn Muir Dalton Redpath Callum Renwick added further scores for the Greens, with Gala grabbing two converted efforts themselves in defeat.

The quartet of winners join Ayr, Melrose, Stirling County and Jed-forest in the quarterfinal draw.