VAR shouldn’t be getting involved – Derek McInnes after Scottish Cup exit
Derek McInnes suggests that VAR’s decision to rule out Tomas Magnusson’s opening goal was “harsh” following Hearts’ penalty shootout exit to Falkirk in the Scottish Cup. Playing their third game in six days, Elton Kabangu’s missed penalty allowed Ben Parkinson to send the Bairns into the hat for the 5th round. McInnes felt the shootout defeat “stings that little bit more”. ‘There were a lot of people at the start of this week that said to me about prioritising St Mirren over the cup game, and I didn’t like that mentality, I thought we should be prioritising both.’ ‘I think it’s important we are a strong cup team, it’s been a tough week, its took its toll in terms of injuries, suspensions, and the effort put out by the players output from the players’ ‘We started the game really strongly. I thought we would really need to get off to a flying start and impose ourselves in the game, and I thought we were brilliant in that first half hour.’ ‘But we were guilty of not taking enough shots, not working the goalkeeper enough, when you are as dominant as that in the first half hour youve got to make hay, and we didn’t.’ ‘We lose a poor goal, which skews everything; it’s the type of goal we don’t normally lose, but getting done in the wide areas isn’t good enough.’ Hearts had initially taken the lead in the 53rd minute, after Magnusson crashed home from close range. But VAR deemed that the Norwegian used his hand to control the ball, keeping the score level. McInnes was “disappointed” with the intervention. ‘The angle I’ve seen is not definitive that that’s a handball unless VAR have seen it from the main stand side.’ But I don’t think VAR should be getting involved in that. I didn’t see any real motion from Tomas [Magnusson] to gain an advantage; it’s the type of thing that was said VAR wouldn’t be involved in a couple of weeks ago at Hampden with Willie Collum. I thought it was really harsh. Captain Lawrence Shankland was forced off after suffering an injury, whilst the details of the knock remain unclear, McInnes may be without his starman before their table-top showdown with Celtic next week. ‘Not great, we don’t know exactly what he’s done, when it comes to penalties, you want to keep him on for obvious reasons, it doesn’t look good for next week anyway.’ We’ve got 8 days before we play Celtic, we’ll dust ourselves down, well see where we are, well get over the disappointment because that’s the job, and we’ll be ready for them.
Hearts 1-1 Falkirk (4-5 on pens): Parkinson the hero as Bairns progress to 5th round
Hearts 1-1 Falkirk (4-5 penalties) Parkinson (59′) Shankland (85′ pen) Ben Parkinson’s goal and winning penalty sent Falkirk to the 5th round of the Scottish Cup, dumping the league leaders out at Tynecastle. Hearts started brightly, in an otherwise bleak first half. Claudio Braga raced clear of the Falkirk backline in the opening minutes, but scuffed his left-footed striker wide of Scott Bain’s goal. Alexandros Kyziridis produced a world-class goal to break the deadlock against Falkirk in September. He attempted a similar 25-yard strike after collecting Tomas Magnusson’s cross-field ball, but Bain gathered the bobbling effort. Derek McInnes’s side enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening 25 minutes without scoring, to the delight of the large travelling support, who filled most of the Roseburn end. Chances were few and far between for the visitors in the first half. Leon McCann raced towards Alexander Schwolow’s goal on the half-hour mark after picking up a pocket of space. His left-footed strike had power, but was pushed away by the Austrian goalkeeper. The visitors had the final chance of the half when Filip Lissah headed over a Miller freekick. Neither side looked likely to find a goal as Nick Walsh blew his whistle for half-time. McGlynn opted for a triple substitution at the break, including the introduction of Sheffield United loanee Louie Marsh. McInnes kept the same eleven, but looked to have switched Kyziridis to the right flank, in an attempt to penetrate the visiting defence. Magnusson thought he had broken the deadlock in the 53rd minute. The ball broke kindly to the Norwegian following a hopeful long ball, stroking home from close range amidst a sea of Falkirk bodies. But a lengthy VAR check ensued, deeming that the midfielder had controlled the ball with his hand, keeping the scores level. The visiting support cheered the decision and didn’t have long to wait before celebrating again. Substitute Parkinson got across Jordi Altena to tap home Filip Lissah’s low cross in the 58th minute, sending the away allocation into frenzy. The goal galvanised the visitors, and Parkinson should have doubled their advantage after racing clear on goal moments later. But the striker failed to trouble Schwolow, slicing his strike into the Roseburn Stand. With 15 minutes to play, McInnes turned to the latest incomer, Islam Chesnokov, injecting pace into Hearts’ attack. In truth, Bain in the Falkirk goal had enjoyed a quiet second period. The hosts were awarded a lifeline with five minutes to play. Chesnokov made an immediate impact after being hacked in the box by Leon McCann, Shankland powered home the resultant penalty to level proceedings, and set up extra time. A tense extra time period ensued, as both teams wrestled for the winning goal. Miller tested Schwolow with a left-footed strike after finding space on the edge of the box. The low drive looked set to break the net, but the Austrian pushed clear to maintain level proceedings. Spittal went closest for Hearts in the 113th minute with a 25-yard free kick, which dipped narrowly over Bain’s crossbar. Falkirk responded with four minutes to play. McCann marauded into space on the left, his cross broke to substitute Ethan Ross, who blasted from 6 yards towards goal. Schwolow held firm to divert the powerful strike, and Stuart Findlay cleared the danger. Falkirk held their nerve in the penalty shootout, scoring all five of their penalties. Kabangu placed his left-footed strike over Bain’s bar before Parkinson delivered the killer blow. A marathon 120 minutes ended in delight for McGlynn’s determined bunch, for McInnes and Hearts, full focus will shift to their league title charge. Hearts: Schwolow 7 Kent 6 Halkett 7 McCart 6 Milne 6 Altena 6 Magnusson 6 Baningime 7 Kyziridis 6 Braga 5 Shankland 6 Substitutes: Spittal 5 Findlay 5 Kabore 5 Chesnokov 5 Kabangu 3 Forrester 3 Falkirk: Bain 7 McCann 6 Henderson 7 Allan 7 Lissah 7 Cartwright 6 Spencer 7 Yeats 6 Tait 7 Miller 7 Stewart 6 Substitutes: Marsh 5 Wilson 5 Parkinson 6 Adams 4 Ross 3 Graham 2
Glamour Ties, Club Legends, and Pressure Mounting: Scottish Cup 4th Round Breakdown
With the 4th round of the Scottish Cup taking place this weekend, here are the key storylines ahead of an action-packed weekend. Game of the Round – Dunfermline v Hibernian Neil Lennon welcomes his former side to East End Park for an intriguing Saturday lunchtime kick-off. Lennon, who oversaw 122 games at Easter Road and returned the club to the top flight as 2017 Championship winners, will be desperate to upset the odds. His Dunfermline side currently sits 5th in the Championship, three points adrift of the playoffs. Standing in his way is an Hibernian icon, David Gray. The man who ended Hibs’ 114-year Scottish Cup hoodoo with a famous header against Rangers in 2016. With Lennon facing his former side and Gray looking to start another memorable cup run, the storylines alone could make this a classic cup tie. Team Spotlight – Auchinleck Talbot Auchinleck Talbot have secured a massive glamour tie against Celtic this Sunday evening. While the venue has shifted from Beechwood Park to Rugby Park, the sense of occasion remains clear for the fans and long-term manager Tommy Sloan, who has been at the helm since 2003. Talbot’s road to the fourth round has been clinical. Dispatching Haddington, local rivals Cumnock, Gretna, and Dumbarton, netting 13 goals along the way. This marks their first return to this stage since 2022, when they hosted Hearts in a memorable 5-0 defeat. Regardless of the final score, Sunday’s fixture is a financial game-changer that secures the club’s future for years to come. Manager to Watch – Jim Goodwin Dundee United welcome Ayr United to Tannadice in a clash that feels pivotal for Jim Goodwin. After a brutal start to 2026, headlined by a painful derby loss to Dundee and a heavy defeat at the hands of Celtic, Goodwin’s record of just two wins in 13 has left him with zero margin for error. For a club that finished fourth last season and enjoyed a brief stint in the European qualifiers, the current slump is a bitter pill for the Tangerine faithful to swallow. The visitors are a difficult test, Scott Brown’s Ayr United sit 4th in the championship, and have enjoyed a run of 1 defeat in their last 11. For United, victory is crucial to end their dismal run.
“We said at halftime, this can be done” – McInnes
Derek McInnes described his side’s 2-0 victory over St Mirren as “brilliant” as Hearts secured a second 10-man win in three days. His side survived 45 minutes with 10 men to beat Dundee on Sunday afternoon, butMcInnes believes this victory “tops it by a long way”. “We were in trouble. We got the experience on Sunday. We played similarly, although Dundee played a different shape to St Mirren.” “We were still carrying a threat with three at the top of the pitch to try and carry a threat, give us a bit of oxygen, give us a bit of relief. The three lads, Lawrence, Claudio, and Kyzi, carried a fight for us and gave us some good moments, but without scoring the goal.” Beni Baningime’s late challenge on Ronald Idowu gave the Jambos a mountain to climb in the 15th minute, but once more, they rose from the canvas to deliver a crucial victory, maintaining their six-point gap at the summit of the Scottish Premiership. “Beni Baningime, who’s as popular a boy in that dressing room as anybody, is in tears. We had to help him out. We had to dig ourselves out of a bit of trouble.” “With 10 men against a team like St Mirren, it’s not always easy. We thought we had enough encouragement at times, we had a couple of good opportunities, good breaks.” “It’s a great bit of play in the lead-up to Lawrence’s goal where the captain sets the right tone, gets the goal and then we have something to hang on to.” “That’s due to the effort of the lads. We can only set them up. I can only give them the instruction of what’s the best chance to get that clean sheet.” The win maintains their 100% winning start to 2026, keeping three clean sheets in the process. McInnes’ side have another quick turnaround, as they welcome Falkirk to Tynecastle for the Scottish Cup 4th Round on Saturday evening.
“They made me look stupid” – Stephen Robinson
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson admitted his players were given some “home truths” after a flat 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle, leaving his side precariously close to the relegation spots. Hearts have been incredible this season, and Tynecastle is a difficult venue, but Robinson is more frustrated about his team’s energy and the way they approached the match. St Mirren were given a major advantage in the 15th minute, after Beni Baningime was shown red after a late tackle on Roland Idowu. With two disallowed goals, it wasn’t the night for Robinson’s side, as Lawrence Shankland and Tómas Bent Magnússon sealed the win for the Jambos. Now the League Cup Winners are left third bottom, and with Kilmarnock under new management, will it be a fight to escape the playoff spot? Last season, St Mirren finished on 50 points, and as it stands after 22 games played, they have accumulated just 18. Steven Robinson didn’t hold back in his interview with the BBC after the match. He said, “Are they starting to believe the hype and the publicity after the cup win, thinking they’re possibly a little bit better than they are, and they don’t need to work as hard? “How you train is how you play, and some people haven’t trained properly. Some people have moped about a little bit because they weren’t in the team, but have come in and played like that.” “Sometimes players make you look stupid, and certainly they made me look stupid tonight.” A double header with struggling Livingston, could see St Mirren progress in the cup in the first meeting and get back to winning ways in the league in the second visit to The Set Fare Arena, which would be two great results and surely give some much-needed confidence.
United secure “depth and quality” in Neil Farrugia
Dundee United have announced the signing of fullback Neil Farrugia. The Irishman joins the Tannadice side on a deal until the summer of 2028. Farrugia spent last season at Barnsley in League One and has enjoyed the majority of his football in Ireland for Shamrock Rovers. He made 136 appearances for the Rovers, scoring 12 goals, and featured 11 times in the UEFA Conference League. Manager Jim Goodwin was pleased to welcome Farrugia to Tannadice, highlighting that he will fit United’s “tactical framework”. “He is comfortable operating on both sides of the pitch and offers real value in our progression phase. He carries the ball effectively from deep, understands when to hold width, when to attack inside, and delivers accurately from good areas.” “His ability to play off either foot also allows us to avoid becoming predictable, especially against teams who defend in a low block” “He also brings vast experience from different environments, having played almost 200 senior games back home in Ireland under the demands of consistent success, featured regularly in high-profile European competition and tested himself down south throughout the past year.” “At 26, he is at an age where he understands the game well but still has scope to improve within our structure. I’m delighted to have him at my disposal.” The deal is subject to international clearance; upon completion, Farrugia would be available for the Scottish Cup clash against Ayr United on Saturday afternoon.
Carrick set for caretaker role at Manchester United
Manchester United are close to appointing Michael Carrick as caretaker boss, with former England assistant Steve Holland set to join as his number two. Jonathan Woodgate, Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion are also set to join Carrick’s staff. Carrick takes over from Ruben Amorim, who was sacked on January 5th, one day after drawing 1-1 with Leeds at Elland Road. The former United midfielder had a brief stint at the Old Trafford helm in 2021, managing three games after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal. A baptism of fire would await the 44-year-old, with United hosting city rivals Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, before travelling to the Emirates eight days later.
Scott Fry’s influence evident as Rangers flourish from set-piece plays
Rangers defeated Aberdeen 2-0 at Pittodrie yesterday, thanks to goals from Thelo Aasgaard and James Tavernier. However, in Rangers’ last meeting with Aberdeen before yesterday, they also defeated the Dons two goals to nothing; these goals came from well-worked set-piece moments, and Scott Fry’s work on the training ground is really paying off. A well-delivered corner from ex-Aberdeen star Connor Barron saw 6 ft 4 defender, Emmanuel Fernandez, rise to score his fifth of the season and give Rangers the lead. Shortly after, another well-crossed ball from Barron saw Nico Raskin, who is one of the smaller Rangers players, make a darting run across the box to head home and give the hosts a 2-0 advantage. The same applied for Rangers again yesterday, with their first goal coming from another well-worked play from a corner, which Jayden Meghoma delivered beautifully to see Norwegian international Thelo Aasgaard lurking in a dangerous position and slotting home confidently. Unfortunately for the Gers, Fernandez thought he had doubled the scoring after heading home a long ball, but after a VAR check, referee David Dickinson disallowed the goal for a foul on Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov. During Rohl’s press conference after the first meeting with Aberdeen, he spoke about how much of a difference Scott Fry has made. ‘Scott is doing a fantastic job, and that is the reason why he is here. We made a good choice. It is not just about the topics and the content; he is also a good human and a good addition to my coaching team. I am very happy.’ ‘You also see the players; we worked a lot on these things, and especially in these tight games, you need this. On the weekend, we scored three times after transition moments and good pressing moments. Today it was after set plays, and maybe next time in ball possession’. Fry joined the club from Lincoln City and played a vital role in their incredible 30 goals from set-plays, which was the most in the league. This has contrasted with this Rangers side, who haven’t been scoring as many goals from set-pieces compared to recent years. It has also been noted that there has been a variety of different takers from these plays; instead of always being the same output in James Tavernier, this includes Jayden Meghoma and Connor Barron before his injury. Now in modern football, set-piece coaches are massive figures and can provide the small margins that can decide matches and league titles. For example, Arsenal have made set-pieces a major weapon under Mikel Arteta, with them being one of the most dangerous in England. This can make a real difference in the race for a title. However, at Rangers, it is clear to see there is more structure in their dead-ball situations with the squad regularly creating good quality chances, and with the height they have in the team now, are Rangers now a threat from set plays?
English FA Cup Fourth Round Draw
The FA Cup fourth round draw has taken place today, and has produced a range of interesting ties. The third round had some high-scoring games, such as Manchester City vs Exeter, which finished 10-1. But it also had a major cup upset, last year’s winners, Crystal Palace, being knocked out by Macclesfield. But here’s how the next set of fixtures looks. Arsenal will face Wigan at home. Aston Villa have drawn fellow Premier League side Newcastle United. Birmingham City will take on Leeds, and Burnley will face League One side Mansfield Town. Another League One vs Premier League side draw in Burton vs West Ham. League Two side Grimsby will host Wolves at Blundell Park, and Hull will be up against Chelsea, where Liam Rosenior will face his 2nd cup fixture as Chelsea manager. Liverpool face Barnsley in the Monday night fixture, and the winner of that game will host Brighton. Shock winners Macclesfield will face another Premier League test as they take on Brentford. Manchester City’s convincing performance against Exeter books their place in the fourth round, and they will face the winner of Salford City vs Swindon Town, which was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Norwich City face West Brom, Oxford United travel to Sunderland, and Bristol City will make the journey to Port Vale. The last three games to be played are Southampton vs. Leicester, Stoke vs. Fulham, and, finally, Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham side will face Ipswich. A total of 16 games to be played over the weekend of the 13th to 15/16th of February.
Celtic recall Welsh from Motherwell loan
Celtic have boosted their defensive options by recalling Stephen Welsh from his loan at Motherwell. The 25-year-old signed a season-long loan deal on Deadline Day and made 17 appearances for the Fir Park side. He impressed in Jens Berthel Askou’s defence, helping them to 4th place, and achieving 9 clean sheets. Motherwell confirmed the recall on their website earlier today, stating, ‘We want to thank Stephen for his hard work during his time at Motherwell and wish him the very best for the future.’ Welsh becomes Celtic’s second January move, after completing a loan deal for Bournemouth right back Julián Araujo. Martin O’Neill is still without the stalwart defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, so both could become key cogs for the Scottish champions. O’Neill’s latest interim reign got off to the perfect start, with a commanding 4-0 home victory over Dundee United. They return to league action against Falkirk on Wednesday.
