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Pat Fenlon: disappointment. Lynne Cameron/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Nutsy

Pat Fenlon denies gesture at fans as Hibs hammered by Hearts in cup final

Former Shels and Bohs boss was sent to the stands at Hampden Park.

PAT FENLON HAD a bad day at the office today.

The Irish coach denied gesturing towards taunting Hearts fans after he was sent to the stand in the final seconds of his team’s 5-1 Scottish Cup final drubbing at Hampden.

Rudi Skacel struck twice – once early on – with defender Darren Barr also striking inside the first 30 minutes at Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

Hibs, who narrowly avoided relegation from the Scottish Premier League earlier this month, pulled one back through on-loan centre-back James McPake four minutes before half-time.

Their hopes of a comeback received a major blow two minutes into the second half, when Siakou Kujabi conceded a penalty and was shown a straight red card for committing a foul inside the area. Fullback Daniel Grainger converted the spot-kick to make it 3-1.

And Australian defender Ryan McGowan was then on target to extend Hearts’ lead two minutes later, effectively ending the match as a contest with the majority of the second half still to play. Czech veteran Skacel, playing in his second spell with the Tynecastle outfit, completed his brace when he netted the fifth goal with 15 minutes remaining.

As the celebrating Hearts supporters mockingly chanted “There’s only one Pat Fenlon”, the Irishman appeared to gesture at them and was sent off by referee Craig Thomson.

However, Fenlon denied reacting to his tormentors.

“No I didn’t,” he said. “I made a gesture in relation to the way we were playing. We kept giving the ball away cheaply.

“I don’t know what they were singing to be quite honest. There is a hell of a lot made in relation to the gesture but we want to talk about the game, we were well beaten today, they were miles ahead of us and it was a difficult day for everybody,” he added.

Hearts’ first Scottish Cup triumph since 2006 and their eighth in total arrived in what was the first Edinburgh derby in the final of the competition since 1896.

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