Fuller figure firms up Hearts

WHILE Hearts have more often than not laid claim to the role of the Third Man in Scottish football over the last decade, yesterday’s encounter at Tynecastle would establish who was currently the Fourth Protocol.

Victory over Aberdeen would edge them ahead of Ebbe Skodvahl’s side as Craig Levein oversees the rapid transformation in their form against a background of turmoil at Tynecastle.

Hearts were never as bad a team as many of their fans may have felt they were when they lost their first derby of the season back in October, but now the question they were facing yesterday was were they as good as the four wins in their last five fixtures suggested?

The answer seems to be yes. They are only six points behind Livingston in third place who they play next week.

Meanwhile, Levein’s nerve held up well during the early season tumult between the board and the fans, and he has constructed a team built on the fundamentals necessary for any success. It has a spine with Stephen Pressley in the centre of defence while Steve Fulton and Thomas Flogel hold the centre in midfield, and up front they have a new Tynecastle talisman.

This success is reflected in the manager and player of the month awards for December and while Levein, like all managers, stresses the collective, one individual in particular has uplifted hearts in Gorgie.

It has not been so much the number of goals - six in the league - which Ricardo Fuller has scored, but the manner in which he has taken them.

Indeed, the Jamaican is already being acclaimed as one of those players who is a bonus to the game in general in Scotland. This is because he is not afraid to run with the ball, hold it up and take on more than one man.

The lay off is not a strong feature of his game, but it is there as was evident in the 37th minute. Such, though, is his confidence on the ball that the gangly Jamaican is prepared to drift across the park with the ball when there isn’t an obvious opening in front of him and then turn and shoot or pass.

It was from this very quality that Hearts created their opening goal, albeit against the run of play.

The collective efforts of Aberdeen had, until then, been in control, with their midfield dominating and their defence proving the more effective unit playing the ball away from danger.

Up front, Eugene Dadi and Darren Mackie were looking sharp and the Frenchman was unlucky when he struck a post on the turn in 21st minute. But such is football. One moment of flair can turn a game and when the ball was punched up to Fuller eight minutes before the half-time break, he was prepared to hold it.

He fended off two attempts at tackles by Jamie McAllister and Derek Whyte, dancing over the ball as he tried a flick and turn. Still he held on to it.

No doubt those 50-a-side games in the streets of Kingston, which he reminisced about when he was receiving his award midweek, had served him well. He had won time and spotted Tommi Gronlund moving up unmarked from his defensive midfield role and the Finn connected on the edge of the box to beat Ryan Esson with a low drive.

The hex Hearts hold over Aberdeen at Tynecastle looked set to continue. The home side have won seven of the last eight games here between the sides and Skodvahl has yet to see his Aberdeen win in four visits under his management, yet alone score a goal.

‘Fuller is already being acclaimed as a bonus to the game in Scotland’

However, he would have been encouraged when his Belgian midfielder equalised just on half time with a blasting shot. This was the Aberdeen collective at its best allayed to individual skill. Mackie’s cross from the right was flicked over his head by Robbie Winters, who had spotted Ricardo Bisconti moving unmarked into the left of the box. The Belgian took one touch at a pace without breaking stride to whip the ball in from an acute angle. However, Levein must have stressed at half time that Hearts were still level without having started to play, particularly Fulton and Flogel. And 10 minutes into the second half they were back in front, courtesy of his central midfield.

Flogel caught out Aberdeen’s flat back four with a chip through the middle for Fulton to run on to - a rare sight indeed to see his fulsome figure in such a position. He went clear of the defence with only the goalkeeper to beat which he did so with the minimum of fuss.

Fulton had used his head rather than his legs. It was not a sudden burst that took him through, but rather he had been gradually moving up from his deep-lying position in the first half.

Hearts were now surging forward with a strong wind at their back and they swept further into the lead six minutes later. Fuller had drifted wide to pick up the ball and, with marvellous skill, twisted his way up the wing. His cross was cleared only as far as Pressley, who struck the bar from 20 yards with a rising shot. Gary Wales was following up to put in the rebound unchallenged.

That Aberdeen were beginning to lose it was evident from the red card Bisconti received in the 65th minute after a foul on Fuller. When he slammed the ball in frustration against a billboard, referee John Rowbotham produced a second yellow card.

Hearts now have Livingston in their sights in the battle for third place. Levein puts his side’s re-emergence down to confidence. The stuff is overflowing at Tynecastle at the moment.

Taken from the Scotsman