Hearts 5 FC Lantana 0 (Agg: 6-0)

Scotland new boys Steve Fulton and Neil McCann celebrated their international call-ups in fine style as Hearts eased into tomorrow's European Cup Winners' Cup first round draw at a canter at Tynecastle tonight.

Both supplied clinical finishes for two of the three first half goals which swiftly ended any prospect of Estonian side FC Lantana upsetting the Premier League leaders.

Jim Hamilton's opener after 18 minutes had already ended the tie as a contest by adding to their 1-0 first leg advantage and strikes from Thomas Flogel and substitute Derek Holmes after the interval further embellished an impressive display.

Manager Jim Jefferies knows there are much tougher tests ahead, but a healthy 15,053 Tynecastle crowd went home having witnessed Hearts biggest-ever margin of victory in a European tie.

McCann returned on the left flank as expected after missing Saturday's 2-0 win over Aberdeen, but in Gary Naysmith's absence, Rob McKinnon reverted to his more customary left back role with first leg scorer Lee Makel coming into midfield.

The former Huddersfield player was clearly keen to add to his tally, letting fly with a 20-yarder that drifted narrowly wide as early as the third minute.

Hamilton had already had his first sight of goal by then, his weak left foot effort easily parried by Estonian keeper Sergei Ussoltsev.

But the big striker made no mistake after 18 minutes after good work from the overlapping McKinnon down the left.

Picking up the full-back's pass just outside the penalty area, Hamilton looked up before firing a precise left foot shot across Ussoltsev into the far corner.

Prior to the opener, Lantana midfielder Andrei Mitjunov had caused Hearts keeper Gilles Rousset to spring high to his left to divert an effort from fully 35 yards that was heading for the top corner.

But thereafter it was all Hearts, Stephane Adam and Fulton both coming close to doubling the lead before the latter did so with great aplomb just before the half hour.

It was a fitting way to celebrate his own long-awaited elevation to the international set up, sprinting forward to collect a superb return pass from Adam before chipping delicately over the advancing Ussoltsev for his third goal in three games.

After Makel had again gone close, McCann then joined Fulton on the scoresheet after 41 minutes, controlling McKinnon's cross from the left before firing joyfully into the roof of the net.

With the Tynecastle crowd sitting back waiting for a second half avalanche, it was the Estonians who came surprisingly came closest to adding to the scoring after 52 minutes.

Striker Sergei Koulitchenko arrived on cue on the end of Oleg Gorjatsov's pin-point cross from the left, only for the post to deny him with Rousset helpless.

Hearts boss Jim Jefferies took the opportunity to give his strikers Adam and Hamilton a rest after an hour, introducing Thomas Flogel and Jose Quitongo into the fray.

The Angolan winger immediately added his own sparkle to the proceedings, firing in a right foot effort that drifted narrowly wide.

Rousset twice had to be alert to deny Lantana striker Vitali Leitan, but it was Hearts who continued to dominate possession in search of further goals.

When Weir sent in a powerful 30-yarder that Ussoltsev could only parry after 74 minutes, Makel seemed odds-on to score but managed to get tangled up with Flogel as both went for the ball.

The Austrian made amends a minute later though after McCann - operating more centrally - had struck his initial effort against the crossbar, Flogel sweeping in the rebound from 15 yards.

Youngster Derek Holmes, on as a substitute for Makel, then marked his first taste of European football by sweeping in McCann's low cross in injury time.

The only downside for Hearts were early bookings for Fulton and Makel that could prove costly should they progress further in the competition, but they weren't worrying about that tonight.


Taken from sportinglife.com