CALLUM PATERSON'S deft flick late into extra time gave Hearts a passage into the third round of the League Cup in a night of drama in Forfar.

With the home side's manager,Dick Campbell, having been sent to the stand at the end of the first period of extra time – he was vociferously angry that too much time had been played as Paterson redirected Juanma Delgado's strike past Forfar hero Rab Douglas – Forfar knew they were in trouble.

Danny Denholm had already been red-carded as regulation time was about to close and Douglas had produced a series of breathtaking saves, including a penalty save from Gavin Reilly and the Delgado follow-up.

Then, to cap a compelling game, Forfar's Kevin Nicoll's challenge on Callum Morrison, right on the final whistle, was judged unacceptable and he, too, saw red.

Hearts were made to work extra hard for their win and it took them until the 74th minute to break the deadlock and beat Douglas, unable to take goal kicks because of a hamstring injury, yet able to be agile and acrobatic in equal measure.

It was, however, Kevin McHattie, the Hearts left-back who was to damage the hosts four minutes later with a ferocious shot from inside the area as Forfar hearts sank, wondering perhaps if their opponents' greater fitness would kick-in.

But there was further drama to come and it was Forfar who hit back six minutes from time as Michael Dunlop's looping header confused the Tynecastle defence and dropped into their net to put the tie into extra time.

Forfar had been helped through several difficult moments by Douglas, still one of the best goalkeepers in his division, even at the age of 43.

But when his team-mate Denholm was shown a second yellow card in the dying stages of play and Campbell was spoken to by the referee for his reaction, it seemed almost inevitable that the top-tier side would capitalise.

And so it proved. With the first-half of extra time about to end, a Hearts corner kick from the left was drilled towards goal by Delgado before Paterson's touch took it past Douglas and ended Forfar's hopes of progressing in this tournament.

Campbell, meanwhile, expressed disquiet that the goal had been struck 38 seconds over the one minute add-on time shown by the fourth official.

Nicoll's departure, seconds from the end, followed his reckless challenge on Morrison.

In the end, Robbie Neilson, the Hearts manager, would have been mightily relieved as Forfar ended the night as unfortunate heroes.