Scottish Challenge Cup: Kelty shock Linfield to reach quarter-finals
- Published
Kallum Higginbotham equalised for Kelty against Linfield
Kelty Hearts caused the shock of the Scottish Challenge Cup fourth round as the League 1 side knocked out Northern Irish champions Linfield.
The Fifers won a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw at Central Park.
Holders Raith Rovers also needed penalties to oust Championship rivals Greenock Morton in Kirkcaldy.
Clyde edged Elgin City on penalties, while Hamilton Academical defeated Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Queen's Park beat Montrose, both 2-0.
They join Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic and Queen of the South - who had already booked their places - in Tuesday's quarter-finals draw.
Linfield, who beat Glentoran in midweek to reach the Northern Irish League Cup final, looked to be heading for more knockout success when on-loan St Johnstone man Eetu Vertainen was brought down by Lewis Martin and young strike partner Chris McKee fired them ahead just after the break.
But veteran forward Kallum Higginbotham slotted the equaliser with seven minutes remaining and, when former Morton midfielder Connor Pepper's spot-kick was saved in the shootout, it ended Linfield's run of five straight away wins and 11 without defeat overall.
It looked as if Rovers' hold on the Challenge Cup was slipping as 18-year-old midfielder Alex King fired in-form Morton into a deserved second-half lead at Stark's Park.
However, forward Lewis Vaughan headed his first goal since returning from a year out through injury before Morton's 10-game unbeaten run was ended on penalties.
Dom Thomas' close-range finish, his fifth goal in four games, set second-tier Queen's Park on their way to a fifth straight victory.
A fine solo goal from fellow winger Josh McPake, on loan from Rangers, ended battling League 1 side Montrose's hopes after the break.
Caley Thistle manager Billy Dodds kept his promise to send out a team of mainly under-18 players against Hamilton because of his club's injury problems.
An early Sam Nixon own goal set them an even more difficult task against their Championship rivals, midfielder Reegan Mimnaugh fired a second soon after, but the youthful visitors earned plaudits for limiting the damage thereafter.
League 1 strugglers Clyde ended a run of 11 games without a win despite having defender Andrew Rodden sent off after 56 minutes against an Elgin side who had been seeking a fourth consecutive victory.
The Glasgow side's first win in five games under recently returned manager Jim Duffy was secured by Peter Grant's winning penalty against their League 2 hosts in the shootout.
Dunfermline had caused a mini-shock on Friday evening as the League 1 leaders thumped Championship strugglers Arbroath 5-1 at Gayfield.
Defender Matthew Todd was the Pars' hero, scoring twice and setting up two other goals, as the visitors stretched their unbeaten run to eight games.
Striker Lee Connelly's double helped Queen of the South win for the first time in seven visits to Recreation Park as the edged League 1 rivals Alloa Athletic in a 4-2 thriller.
Second-tier Dundee were first through to the last eight with Thursday's 3-0 win away to Falkirk.
Striker Zak Rudden scored a double against the League 1 hosts to extend the Dark Blues' unbeaten run to eight games.