Dundee United managed to snatch a replay out of a dominant Hibernian side at Tannadice this Sunday afternoon in the last of the Scottish Cup fourth round ties.
Later in the evening the fifth round draw was made with league one Clyde welcoming back Scottish champions Celtic to the Broadwood Stadium for the first time since their shock victory over the Hoops in 2006.
Scottish Cup fifth round ties
Celtic will go back to Cumbernauld to face Clyde while Aberdeen host Kilmarnock and Rangers go to Hamilton in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.
Clyde spoiled Roy Keane’s debut for the Hoops back in 2006 when Celtic tumbled out of the Scottish Cup at the Broadwood Stadium by two goals to one. The tie will have the Bully Wee fan’s tongues wagging even with Clyde sitting twenty nine places and two divisions below their famous neighbours.
Scottish Cup fifth round draw
Invercess CT v Livingston
Clyde v Celtic
BSC Glasgow v Dundee United / Hibs
St Mirren v Motherwell
Ayr United v St Johnson
Aberdeen v Kilmarnock
Hamilton v Rangers
Arbroath / Falkirk v Hearts
*All ties to be played on the 8th and 9th of February
United and Hibs come away even in a scrappy thriller
Margins define even the ‘hoof baw’ game of Scottish football and it was those margins that allowed Dundee United to snatch a fourth round replay against Hibernian after drawing two all in a scrappy but entertaining game at Tannadice.
All uphill for United
United started the game kicking downhill but this seeming advantage on an uneven playing field didn’t aid the Tangerines when, with only two and a half minutes played, United centre back Mark Connolly had to clear a powerful shot off the line from Hibernian’s Florian Kamberi.
The Tangerines then conceded on eight minutes when Christian Doidge scored with a tidy finish inside the box after a neat pass played with the outside of his right foot by Martin Boyle.
United’s first corner didn’t come till the twelfth minute which resulted in a wild shot by centre back Paul Watson that might have gone all the way over the Eddie Thompson Stand.
Hibernian were showing Premiership quality over their Championship opponents dominating the first half with the attacking three of Boyle, Allan and Kamberi causing constant problems for the United defence.
But somehow United hung on and went in at halftime level after Lawrence Shankland showed good upper body strength to score a close range finish after being put through by Ian Harkes. It was Shankland’s twenty-sixth goal of the campaign scored in the third and final minute of additional time.
Hibs come out the blocks in the second half
Hibernian were forced into a change when right back Jason Naismith seemed to jar his knee in the turf and was replaced by club captain David Gray for the opening of the second half.
Almost as soon as Gray had got on the pitch Hibs were ahead again through a quality finish scored by Martin Boyle.
Paul McMullan stood off Boyle allowing the Hibs dangerman to score a powerful low finish from outside the box into the bottom corner of Benjamin Siegrist’s net.
Electric Appere jolts Tangerines to life
Hibs dominated much of the second half with Kamberi being the stand out player but things changed for United when in the sixty-third minute ineffectual striker Peter Pawlett was replaced by Louis Appere.
It took Appere ten minutes to stamp his mark on the game scoring a sublime low finish from outside the box that went in off the post of Ofir Marciano’s goal.
Appere electrified United who came to life and for the next fifteen minutes dominated play against a shell shocked Hibernian.
Eventually Hibernian took back control of the match but couldn’t make their dominance count even with Doidge being put clean through after a cross field pass played by former Rangers player Steven Whittaker.
The final action of the game came in the guise of a cross from Allan which was headed by Doidge into the arms of Siegrist.
The replay will be played at Easter Road on Tuesday 28th of January.
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 