Watt unable to hang on

THE home side started well and in the 12th minute Jamie Brown headed a deep cross from Aaron James against the bar.

Ten minutes later, Steven Sives cut out a net-bound shot from Erik Thomson, who had rounded John Gilbertson. From the ensuing corner, James's cross reached Scott Sutherland, who chested the ball down and volleyed it into the top corner to give the Watt the lead.

Michael Connor set up a chance for Ross Leask to score a second, but the shot was tame and Gilbertson saved. Watt went two up in 34 minutes with a fine goal. James went down the left at pace and his cross was met by a well-placed diving header from Thomson.

Tynecastle raised the tempo in the second half and in 68 minutes pulled a goal back through the lively Dean Jones, who played a wall pass on the edge of the area and ran on to beat Craig Saunders with a low shot. Eight minutes later it was all square, as Mark Cherrie's drive from distance deflected off Sutherland to wrong-foot Saunders. The visitors' comeback was complete when a cross from the left touchline by Eddie Mearns turned out to have the perfect trajectory to find the postage-stamp corner. Mearns almost scored again a few minutes later, a clever run across the Watt defence taking him into a shooting position, but Saunders dived to save.

Heriot-Watt: Saunders, Ferrie, Wilson, Sutherland, Samuel, Fyfe (Travis 72), Leask (Donnelly 56), Brown (Forbes 83), Connor, Thomson, James. Subs: Duff, Falconer.

Tynecastle: Gilbertson, Aird, M Cherrie, Sives, Foster (Alexander 56), Blackley, Mearns, Devlin, McCormack (Bingham 92), Sproule, Knight (Jones 41). Sub: McMullen