2013 Scottish League Cup final

2013 Scottish League Cup final

The match programme cover.
Event	2012–13 Scottish League Cup
St Mirren Heart of Midlothian 3 2
Date	17 March 2013
Venue	Hampden Park, Glasgow
Man of the Match	Paul McGowan (St Mirren)
Referee	Craig Thomson
Attendance	44,036
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The 2013 Scottish League Cup final was the 67th final of the Scottish League Cup. The final took place on 17 March 2013 at Hampden Park, Glasgow. The clubs contesting the 2013 final were SPL clubs, St Mirren and Hearts.

As Hearts finished in the top five of the SPL, they entered the League Cup in the third round. They made a convincing start, defeating Livingston in third round. A much tougher test awaited the Jambos in the shape of Dundee United in the quarter-finals, although they defeated the 2008/09 semi-finalists on penalty kicks. Hearts came up against Inverness CT in the semi-finals at Easter Road and were again victorious on penalties.

St Mirren finished 8th in the SPL and entered the League Cup in the second round. They too made a fantastic start, thrashing Ayr United. Hamilton were the Buddies' opponents in the third round and Danny Lennon's men sneaked through after a goal in stoppage time. The quarter-finals saw the Saints take a trip up to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen, and after a 2–2 draw after extra time, the men from Paisley won on penalties. A trip to Hampden Park for the semi-finals saw St Mirren run out 3–2 winners against Celtic and set up a final against Hearts. St Mirren won the final 3–2 against Hearts. ^{[1] [2] [3]} It was their first major trophy since the 1987 Scottish Cup victory. ^{[4] [5]}

Route to the final

Main article: 2012–13 Scottish League Cup

Hearts were one of the five Scottish Premier League sides who entered the League Cup in the third round. St Mirren finished 8th in the Scottish Premier League the previous season and entered the League Cup in the second round.

St Mirren

Round	Opposition	Score
Second round	Ayr United	5–1 (h)
Third round	Hamilton	1–0 (h)
Quarter-final	Aberdeen	1–1 (4–2 p) (a)
Semi-final	Celtic	3–2 (n)

In the second round St Mirren faced a home tie against Second Division team Ayr United. Five different players got on the scoresheet for the Saints and saw them through comfortably. ^[6]

In the next round St Mirren faced First Division team Hamilton at St Mirren Park. Lee Mair's goal in the 92nd minute gave the home side victory. ^[7]

St Mirren drew with Aberdeen in the quarter-finals, but were victorious on penalty kicks. ^[8]

St Mirren beat Celtic in the semi-final with a magnificent display. Paul McGowan, formerly of Celtic, was one of the Saints' three goalscorers. ^[9]

Hearts

Round	Opposition	Score
Third round	Livingston	3–1 (h)
Quarter-final	Dundee United	1–1 (5–4 p) (a)
Semi-final	Inverness CT	1–1 (5–4 p) (n)

In the third round Hearts faced a home tie against First Division team Livingston. Two goals from Marius Žaliūkas and one from Danny Grainger saw the Jambos through comfortably. ^[10] In the next round Hearts faced fellow Scottish Premier League team Dundee United at Tannadice. Callum Paterson opened the scoring for Hearts before Johnny Russell equalised for the home side. ^[11]

Hearts beat Inverness CT on penalties in the semi-final. Andrew Shinnie put the Highlanders ahead shortly after half time, but debutant Michael Ngoo struck the equaliser for the Gorgie club. ^[12]

Match

Details

17 March 2013

15:00

St Mirren	3–2	Heart of Midlothian
Gonçalves 37' Thompson 46' Newton 66'	Report	Stevenson 10', 85'

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Attendance: 44,036

Referee: Craig Thomson

St Mirren

Hearts

ST MIRREN: GK 1 Craig Samson RB 2 David van Zanten CB 14 Marc McAusland CB 6 Jim Goodwin (c) LB 3 Paul Dummett RM 21 Gary Teale  83' CM 10 Paul McGowan CM 24 Conor Newton LM 29 John McGinn  81' CF 9 Steven Thompson  77' CF 77 Esmaël Gonçalves  39'  90+2' Substitutes: GK 16 Grant Adam DF 5 Lee Mair  90+2' MF 11 Graham Carey  81' MF 17 Kenny McLean FW 19 Sam Parkin  77' Manager: Danny Lennon

HEARTS: GK 1 Jamie MacDonald RB 19 Dylan McGowan CB 6 Andy Webster (c) CB 4 Danny Wilson LB 29 Kevin McHattie RM 7 Ryan Stevenson  83' CM 5 Darren Barr  70' CM 10 Mehdi Taouil  80' LM 14 Jamie Walker  64' CF 21 Michael Ngoo  69' CF 9 John Sutton  90+4' Substitutes: GK 13 Mark Ridgers DF 28 Brad McKay MF 15 Jason Holt  70' MF 18 Arvydas Novikovas  64' FW 37 Dale Carrick  80' Manager: Gary Locke

MATCH OFFICIALS Referee: Craig Thomson Assistant Referee 1: Alasdair Ross Assistant Referee 2: Derek Rose Fourth Official: Kevin Clancy

MATCH RULES 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary Penalty shoot-out if scores still level Five named substitutes Maximum of three substitutions

References

1. "St Mirren seal historic League Cup win". ESPN. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
2. "St Mirren's Cup win worth the wait". BBC Sport. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
3. "St Mirren 3 Hearts 2: Saints write their names in league cup history after 67 years". Daily Record. 17 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
4. "St Mirren 3 Hearts 2: Trophy hunt finally ends after 26 years" . The Independent. 17 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
5. "Scottish Communities League Cup final: St Mirren 3 Hearts 2". Daily Telegraph. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
6. "St Mirren 5–1 Ayr United". BBC Sport. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
7. "St Mirren 1–0 Hamilton". BBC Sport. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
8. "Aberdeen 2–2 St Mirren (2–4 pens)". BBC Sport. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
9. "St Mirren 3–2 Celtic". BBC Sport. 27 January 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
10. "Hearts 3 – 1 Livingston". BBC Sport. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
11. "Dundee United 1–1 Hearts (4–5 pens)". BBC Sport. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
12. "Inverness 1–1 Hearts (4–5 pens)". BBC Sport. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.