Jim Jefferies is still feted at Tynecastle for guiding Heart of Midlothian to their Scottish Cup success in 1998 but

Jim Jefferies is still feted at Tynecastle for guiding Heart of Midlothian to their Scottish Cup success in 1998, but he dented that reputation yesterday with the gamble that halted his old club’s progress to this season’s quarter-finals.
The Kilmarnock manager threw on Steven Naismith in the quest for an equaliser in this pulsating fourth-round tie and the teenaged substitute dramatically forced a replay with a last-minute goal.It was the second time in four days that Hearts’s ambitions had suffered such a cruel blow, Motherwell robbing them of a place in the Scottish League Cup semi-final with the last kick of the game.The Edinburgh side must have thought their luck had changed when they surged ahead after just 16 minutes through Dennis Wyness. Failure to clear a free-kick led to Ashton and then Fleming forcing the ball forward and Francis drove it fiercely past Hoult on the half-volley. In the final act, Richardson hit an acceptable chance wide from 12 yards Robson, Albion and their supporters looked shattered.. It was all much livelier stuff than the grim goalless draw between the teams on the same ground as they fought for promotion a year ago. Whereas a point each suited both of them on that occasion, it was of less use this time, and the ball continued to ping from end to end.Hard as it was on the visitors, they were eventually beaten by Norwich’s first scoring opportunity since the equaliser some 23 minutes earlier.

Craig Fleming’s header, looping towards goal, ought to have provided no problems for Russell Hoult, but under challenge from Francis, he meekly helped it into his own net. An air of resignation descended on the ground, not least because Norwich had previously scored only five times before half-time this season.But dramatically, and almost comically, there was a sixth in stoppage time, following a corner by the new signing from Charlton, Graham Stuart. Norwich’s allowed the nippy Earnshaw through on to Campbell’s pass and although Green diverted his chip, Richardson scored at the second attempt, his first having struck the bar from two yards out.Back came the home side, Gary Doherty glancing home Huckerby’s cross as three Norwich players queued to meet it at the far post – two of them totally unmarked. He was powerless to prevent Albion regaining the lead within four minutes from a move emanating in that area, but soon created an equaliser as both defences struggled to cope.

Tall and strong, he has provided a new option for Norwich, despite occasionally looking as green as their shorts.Albion therefore had the luxury of an extra man in midfield, though the quartet were often by-passed by long balls from the back. In a lively first half, those methods proved more effective than Norwich’s more subtle approach, producing some nasty moments for the home crowd even before the first goal.Ten minutes from the interval there was an astonishing double let-off for City, who have been complaining of not getting the breaks. They enjoyed one as Earnshaw, fed by Richardson, smacked a shot against the crossbar, and another within 60 seconds, when Jonathan Greening rattled the post after being set up by Zoltan Gera’s persistence.The pressure was increasing and in the 41st minute it finally told. Robert Green, England’s third-choice goalkeeper, hit a poor clearance to Greening, 35 yards out; Earnshaw, reacting more quickly than any defender, picked up his pass and raced away to score.