East Fife find cup magic again to floor Aberdeen

EAST Fife stunned Aberdeen with a heroic victory 4-3 on penalties at Pittodrie last night to reach the quarter-finals of the Scottish Communities League Cup after the teams finished 3-3 after extra time, while Hibernian pipped Motherwell on penalties in an equally-thrilling penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw after pulsating 120 minutes at Fir Park.

John Robertson’s Second Division underdogs had upset Dunfermline in the previous round and again put their disappointing league form to one side, to dump the SPL side out the cup.

They had been seconds away from winning the match in 90 minutes, before a Rory Fallon penalty deep into stoppage time forced a rollercoaster tie into extra-time. Even the penalty shoot-out produced some amazing twists, as East Fife first squandered a two-goal advantage, before Matthew Park’s kick in sudden death proved the winner when Chris Clark missed for Aberdeen.

Aberdeen supporters could not have foreseen the frantic finish, after Darren Mackie had put them ahead and seemingly on course for victory two minutes after the break. East Fife had hinted at an upset when Ryan Wallace scored his seventh goal of the season, but Rory McCardle’s 40th minute equaliser and Mackie’s goal seemed to have vanquished the part-timers.

But Robertson’s men rolled up their sleeves and battled their way back into contention, equalising through Park in the 54th minute then stunning their SPL hosts when Robert Sloan struck three minutes later.

The Methil side withstood a barrage of Aberdeen pressure, but just when it seemed they were over the finish line, referee Steve McLean’s penalty decision denied them at the death. Extra-time failed to produce a goal as East Fife stood firm, and they claimed the win 4-3 on penalties.

At Fir Park, Richie Towell clinched a victory for Colin Calderwood’s Hibs, 7-6 on penalties, after Garry O’Connor’s second goal of the game had forced the game into extra-time. The former Scotland striker had given Hibs the lead, but goals from Keith Lasley and Michael Higdon put Motherwell 2-1 up at the break.

Calderwood must have been delighted with the way his side fought till the end, and they got their reward as O’Connor’s equaliser paved the way for a place in the quarter-finals.

Jim Goodwin’s super strike helped St Mirren book a quarter-final place at the expense of St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. The Buddies, beaten finalists in the competition in 2010, impressively ended a 14-game winless record against their opponents stretching back to August 2005.

Jamie Adams put through his own net before Goodwin’s excellent finish – his first for the Paisley men – gave Danny Lennon’s side a deserved half-time advantage they never looked in danger of losing.

A Paul Heffernan hat-trick helped Kilmarnock to a 5-0 win over Queen of the South, while Dundee United won 2-0 at Airdrie.