Stamp posts an early intent

SIMON PIA at Almondvale

LIVINGSTON 1 Rubio 61
HEARTS 1 Stamp 8

SOME of Hearts’ recent results may have flattered to deceive but yesterday they were guilty of an abject complacency that saw them spurn an opportunity to tighten their grip on third place.

To have so effectively dominated the first half at Almondvale yet go in just one goal up only encouraged Livingston to resuscitate their game. The home side did not quite rise from the dead yet theirs was the relief of a man who’d slipped out of the hangman’s noose. As they fought back to earn a draw they merely exposed Hearts’ deficiencies, confirming the cynical observation that there is little different between the teams outwith the Old Firm in the SPL.

Hearts may have started without their fully fit first choice strikers Mark de Vries and Andy Kirk, and indeed they were both brought on by Craig Levein with 15 minutes to go, however it was a simple lack of width in midfield that ensured service to Gary Wales and Kevin McKenna dried up in the second-half.

Meanwhile Livingston will take much from the recovery as in the last week they have scrambled points off not just Hearts, but also Dundee, and they’re unlucky not to do likewise against Rangers. However they too are guilty of a complacency that has perhaps lasted throughout their season as their players seem to have believed that they are too good to be relegated.

That they still have not come to terms with the fact that they cannot take last season’s success for granted was evident when Stuart Lovell had been ruing the loss of David Fernandez before the game. Lovell said that only now were Livingston realising how important he had been to them and this was emphasised twice in the opening five minutes when they failed to capitalise on openings.

It was Lovell himself who first slipped through a ball for Eugene Dadi but the striker was not alert enough to take advantage, whereas Fernandez in a similar situation would more often than not have scored.

Hearts had barely recovered from that let-off when Cherif Maman cut into the box on the left, hit the bye-line but his cross was missed by both Dadi and Roly Zarate. Livingston only regretted it even more in the eighth minute when Hearts went ahead through a crisply struck shot by Phil Stamp and then proceeded to control the rest of the half. Indeed they should have gone in at least two or three ahead at half-time as Livingston’s defence was crumbling under the slightest pressure. Fortunately for them Alan Main was maintaining his excellent form.

However Main had little or no chance with Hearts’ opening goal. Jean-Louis Valois’ dipping cross from the left seemed to be covered by Gustave Bahoken who was under relatively little pressure. However the Cameroonian full-back misheaded it, and then vainly tried to clear again as the ball drifted in Stamp’s direction. The midfielder took one touch then punched a powerful shot from 20 yards across Main into the far corner.

Almondvale is proving an accommodating stadium for Stamp as he scored in Hearts’ previous fixture here this season. Levein’s side had clearly identified Livingston’s susceptibility to balls over the top of a defence that was turning as slowly as an oil tanker.

Again Bahoken was exposed when MacFarlane played a ball over him but McKenna failed to find the target. Hearts were by now lining up to score and McKenna appeared at the back post for a header from a Wales corner but he mis-connected and would have been better leaving it for Stamp who was well placed behind him.

Livingston were reeling now as Wales broke on the left and his cross took out Main and seemed destined for the back of the net until Marvin Andrews threw himself in front of McKenna to clear.

Momentary relief came as Bahoken almost made amends in a rar foray up the park. However he lost control giving the ball to Alan Maybury, but he pressed on to dispossess the Hearts full-back and regain the ball. Instead of shooting he passed to Dadi who squeezed it past from the six-yard box.

Davie Hay and Jim Leishman seemed to have had enough and Davide Xausa was told to warm up and get ready to come on for the striker. But they thought better of it until the start of the second half. Bahoken as well was to take an early bath as Oscar Rubio came out for the restart as full-back.

Meanwhile Main was ensuring Livingston remained in the game first denying Wales and then tipping an effort from McKenna onto the post. By now Main deserved a breather and Hearts extended it to him although Levein would not have appreciated Wales’ laxity when he slipped past Andrews only to shoot over in front of an open goal. Stamp and Severin were also culpable as they failed to find the target in similar situations as the first half came to a close.

Having grasped their half-time lifeline Livingston set about pulling themselves back on board as far as the game was concerned. Within five minutes new striker Xausa had hit the side net when a square ball would have been better.

Still though Livingston were intent on making matters difficult for themselves and Rubio’s mis-placed pass left Valois free to pick out Wales for a clear run on goal but the Frenchman dithered too long on the ball and the chance was gone.

With that let-off Rubio and Livingston breathed again and proceeded to equalise on the hour mark. Lee Makel’s corner eluded Tepi Moilanen who had mis-timed coming off the line and Rubio rose up to head down powerfully through a forest of maroon jerseys into the back of the net.

Taken from the Scotsman