Fletcher's red card fatal for Hibs

So 107 years of hurt for Hibernian will become 108 at least. Not since 1902 have they won the Scottish Cup and after this bitter fourth-round defeat in a knockabout Edinburgh derby, the curse drags on. The pain was all the sharper for Hibernian's manager, Mixu Paatelainen, because of the straight red card given to his main striker Steven Fletcher in the first half when the score was still 0-0. Fletcher's dismissal – for a dangerous challenge on Christophe Berra – looked justifiable although Paatelainen insisted no offence had taken place.

The sending-off naturally changed the complexion of the match, and within seven minutes Hearts were ahead, Christian Nade profiting from the latest in a long line of Hibernian goalkeeping calamities. Unnecessarily, Yves Ma-Kalambay had wandered out of his six-yard box to approach Hearts' Andrew Driver, who was in possession to his right. Driver was thus free to make a square pass to Nade, who brushed aside the exposed centre-half, Rob Jones, and slammed home.

Ma-Kalambay was replaced at half-time by Grzegorz Szamotulski. Paatelainen said the former was taken off because of a hamstring problem, not for his error. Hibs' performance then deteriorated as quickly as the weather. By the hour mark, with a freezing wind driving the rain in diagonal sheets, they were second best in all areas. But it was not until the second minute of added time that Hearts actually scored again when 18-year-old Gary Glen ran onto a pass from Christos Karipidis, dodged a defensive challenge and shot low into the net.

The Cup, for one season only, has been named the Homecoming Scottish Cup in recognition of Homecoming Scotland 2009, a year of government-sponsored events designed to encourage visitors of Scottish heritage to Scotland in the year of the 250th anniversary of Rabbie Burns' birth.

The organisers of HS2009 claim that "for every Scot in their native land, there are thought to be at least five more overseas who can claim Scottish ancestry".� At Hearts these days, for every Scot there are around five players of overseas ancestry, not that any Jambo will be moaning this morning. Victory earns Hearts a home tie in the fifth round against Falkirk.

Hearts' manager, Laszlo Csaba, did not seem especially pleased with the win. "With the chances created we should have won 4-0,"� he said. But most of the wrath came from Paatelainen. "I'm massively disappointed,"� said the Finn. "We started well and should have been ahead before the turning point [when Fletcher was sent off]. My opinion doesn't count but it was never a sending off."�

Replays show that Fletcher was late in the challenge and seemed to catch Berra, but it was not a two-footed challenge, or high, and Berra was able to tumble away from a harsher impact.

Berra said: "If I had stayed on my feet he could have hurt me quite badly"�. Paatelainen's dismissive view of that was: "Fletcher's foot was down before Berra jumped. Fletcher did not touch him. I had a good angle to see it. Berra jumps like a brown trout."�

Yesterday's drama was among the most entertaining in the Cup at the weekend. The closest thing to a shock was Second Division Ayr United drawing 2-2 with Kilmarnock of the SPL on Saturday. Celtic came from behind to beat Dundee 2-1, while Rangers play St Johnstone tomorrow. The fifth-round draw keeps all the big teams apart.

Goals: Nade (38) 0-1; Glen (90) 0-2.

Hibernian (4-3-3): Ma-Kalambay (Szamotulski, h-t); Van Zanten, Hogg, Jones, Murray; Bamba, Rankin, Stevenson; Riordan (Nish, 66), Fletcher, Johansson (O'Brien, 66). Substitutes not used: Yantorno, Chisholm.

Heart of Midlothian (4-1-4-1): Balogh; Jonsson, Zaliukas, Berra, Wallace; Karipidis; Cesnauskis, Obua (Glen, 82), Palazuelos, Driver; Nade (Stewart, 90). Substitutes not used: Kello (gk), Thomson, Templeton.

Referee: C Thomson.

Booked: Hibs Stevenson, Riordan, Rankin; Hearts Berra, Zaliukas.

Sent off: Hibs Fletcher (31).

Man of the match: Karipidis.

Attendance: 14,837.

Scottish Cup: Fifth-round draw

*Forfar or Forres Mechanics v St Johnstone or Rangers; Airdrie v Dunfermline; Hearts v Falkirk; Inverurie Locos or Motherwell v Brechin or St Mirren; Aberdeen v East Fife; Celtic v Peterhead or Queen's Park; Hamilton v Dundee United; Inverness v Ayr United or Kilmarnock.

Ties to be played 7/8 February