Main Sponsor 2008
 |
||||
|
Charity of The Year
Our Sponsors
|
The Game 07
THE FOOTBALL NATION EDINBURGH CHARITY
MATCH HIBERNIAN 3 HEARTS 1 THE latest Capital derby at Easter Road ended in a 3-1 win for Hibs. You might not have heard of it but the First Nation Charity Cup clash meant as much as the real thing to the teams of Hibs and Hearts fans, With more than £8000 raised before a ball was kicked and around £3000 added to the coffers on the day, the winner was charity, regardless of the scoreline which, incidentally, was 3-1 to Hibs, giving them revenge for defeat at Tynecastle last year. The day was dedicated to the memory of Hibs' skipper Duncan Smith's young son and the funds raised are earmarked for Simpson’s Special Care Babies, the charity associated with the Neonatal Unit at Simpson’s Hospital Defender Duncan said afterwards: "The game meant so much to me, especially with my wee boy having died in January. "It is great to be on the pitch at Easter Road with a trophy, as a fan it is a dream and even better as a captain." Former Hibs star Chris Jackson coached the cup winners. He said: "It was terrific to be back at Easter Road "I was delighted to be back and delighted to have won this trophy. These guys have put in a lot of effort in terms of fitness and preparation and it has come up trumps." The "home" side took the lead from the kick-off when a loose pass back from Brian Whitson failed to reach keeper Bruce Pringle and Rorie Grant was on hand to intercept and slot the ball into the bottom left-hand corner. Hearts almost equalised when Andy Alexander launched a thunderous shot from the edge of the area which rattled the crossbar before being cleared. Then after 16 minutes, Hearts' Steven Kaikowski set up Garry Murray to slip the ball past Chris Flockhart only for assistant referee Paul Hanlon to raise his flag for offside. The Hibees were soon dictating play in midfield and it came as no surprise when a McRae free-kick was picked up by Wright, who danced past Wilson and Anderson before firing home past Pringle to make it two. Hearts gave themselves a lifeline when Garry Murray nodded past Flockhart three minutes into the second half. The Jambos continued to press but pushing further forward proved to be their downfall. With the Hearts side camped in the Hibees' half, Cowan took advantage of a breakaway with 26 minutes remaining to send a 25-yard cross into the path of Grant, who made no mistake. Jackson doesn't know if he'll be back to take charge of the team for next year as the former Easter Road midfielder is hoping to pursue a move into full-time coaching. He said: "I'll wait and see about coming back next year - I can retire happy in the knowledge that my coaching stint got off to a good start! "I've really enjoyed it but credit to the players, I've just played a small part in it and it's their day. "I've taken a break from the game, having stopped playing in the summer of last year, and I've enjoyed it, but no doubt there will be a time for coaching in the future." Hearts coach Dave Kinross said: "It was really disappointing to lose a goal after such a short period of time. "We worked on our organisation but it was something that really put us behind. I thought we were unlucky. "The winner at the end of the day is charity, though - the Hibs guys really played well, you have to hand it to them, and they thoroughly deserved the win." Hibs: Flockhart, McGurk, Cowan, Gillon, Connolly, Smith, Millar, Wright, Grant, Adams, McRae Subs: Pearson, Wood, Anderson, Lackie, Pryde, Carrigan, Burgess. Hearts: Pringle, MacMichael, Cairns, Anderson, Whitson, Wilson, Murray, Kaikowski, Murray, Moore, Alexander Subs: Hanratty, McKay, Price, Borthwick, Li, Hughes, Whelan, |
THE GAME 08 INTERACTIVE CONTACT
|
||
|
All
Content © Edinburgh Charity Game 2008 |
||||
