Heart of Midlothian Fire Six Past Inverness in Premier Sports Quarter Final
Heart of Midlothian fired a stunning four-goal blitz in the final 10 minutes to romp into the Premier Sports quarter finals, defeating Inverness 6-2. The Jambos looked to be in trouble when two goals in as many minutes from Ryan Duncan and Alfie Bavidge early in the second half handed the Championship side the initiative after Christian Borchgrevink’s early opener.
But Rogers Mato - who has had to wait an eternity for a first Jambos start after moving from FC Vardar over seven months ago - netted a leveller on the hour mark. And from then on there was only going to one winner as Sabah Kerjota turned on the style with a string of assists as the Jambos romped to a 6-2 victory thanks to Calvin Miler’s double in 83 and 94 minutes with strikes from subs James Wilson and Claudio Braga sandwiched in between.
Heart of Midlothian never got near Hampden last season after falling at the first knockout hurdle in both cup competitions. Boss Wouter Vrancken knows that offers an immediate chance to improve on that remarkable campaign. But the Belgian still felt comfortable juggling his pack for freshness with five changes from the side that drew with Benfica. Those included Braga and Blair Spittal starting on the bench and the lesser-seen Mato brought in for his first Heart of Midlothian start while Amadou Ba-Sy led the line and Borchgrevink returned at right back.
Caley arrived in the capital unbeaten in six domestic matches this season and having only conceded one goal in those. They’d also lost just one of their last 29 domestic matches in regulation time - that being April’s Challenger Cup Final defeat to Raith. If that wasn’t warning enough for the home side then the sight of Bavidge bulging the net after just four minutes should have been - only for VAR Don Robertson to rule the Aberdeen loanee’s cool finish from Alfie Stewart’s cross offside.
Caley were right in the Jambos’ faces. But that aggression cost them after 14 minutes when Graeme Shinnie caught Ba-Sy and ref Calum Scott pointed to the spot. Again VAR intervened after replays showed the contact was just outside the box. But the Highlanders’ let-off lasted barely a minute as Sabah Kerjota fired the resultant free kick against the wall and, as the ball looped in the air, Borchgrevink arrived first to guide a header high over Ross Munro. It was scrappy but Heart of Midlothian fans weren’t caring.
It should have been two shortly after the half hour when Ba-Sy ran in behind and his cutback was fired onto the bar and over by Kerjota when the net really should have been bulging. Tom Renaud came close to adding to his recent goalscoring streak when he fizzed a half volley just wide after the break before Kerjota cut inside and saw an effort deflected over. But they were made to pay when Duncan levelled after 54 minutes. Danny Devine’s simple diagonal in between Stuart Findlay and Calvin Miller found the former Aberdeen man’s feet and he kept his cool to take a touch a fire past Reus from just inside the box. This time VAR said the goal was good.
Incredibly the Caley Jags turned the game on its head two minutes later as the two Alfies combined for Bavidge to make it 2-1. Tomas Magnusson was eased off the ball as he shaped to shoot on the Inverness 18 yard line. Stewart picked up the
What happened?
Heart of Midlothian secured a 6-2 win over Inverness in the Premier Sports quarter final, with Sabah Kerjota turning on the style and Calvin Miller scoring a double.
Why it matters for Heart of Midlothian
Heart of Midlothian never got near Hampden last season after falling at the first knockout hurdle in both cup competitions. Boss Wouter Vrancken knows that offers an immediate chance to improve on that remarkable campaign.
What comes next?
Heart of Midlothian will look to build on this impressive win as they continue their push for a spot in the Premier Sports final. With the team sitting 1 point clear of Rangers at the top of the league, the Jambos will be confident of their chances.
League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 1st in Premiership, 70 pts, 21W-7D-5L from 33 games, recent form LWDWW. Goals this season: 58 scored, 28 conceded (+30 goal difference).
