Hearts lose out as Kirk is showered with abuse

JOHN THOMSON AT WINDSOR PARK

Linfield 1
Murphy (59)
Hearts 0

CRAIG Levein, the Hearts head coach, paid tribute to Andy Kirk after the Tynecastle striker endured a torrid time on his return to Belfast.

The Northern Ireland international was booed mercilessly every time his touched the ball in Saturday’s pre-season friendly at Windsor Park. It’s not the reception he is used to at the national stadium, but Kirk dealt with the abuse with good grace and even managed to applaud the "fans" when he was substituted late on in the second half.

The enmity stems from Kirk’s time with Linfield’s bitter Belfast rivals, Glentoran, the club with whom the forward made his name. Although he was transferred from the Glens over four years ago, the Linfield supporters clearly have long memories.

Levein believes the player is tough enough to withstand the abuse. "He is a big lad with broad shoulders and can handle a bit of stick from the fans," said the coach. "He was expecting a rough reception, and the fans let him know they haven’t forgotten about him."

However, the bad feeling on the terraces spread on to the pitch, and there were a couple of unsavoury flare-ups.

It is not the type of thing usually associated with pre-season friendlies, but Levein was glad of the stiff test and refused to be too downhearted by the result, even though it meant Hearts had lost two of the three games played during their short tour of Northern Ireland.

"It was a tough work-out and it became a little rough for a while, with players from both sides squaring up to each other," the coach said. "We have now experienced disappointment in two results over the three games in Northern Ireland, defeating Distillery and losing to Ballymena and Linfield. But the trip served a good purpose. Players are getting games under their belts, and that is the most important thing.

"Overall, I’m happy with the tour because at this stage of the season results do not matter. At the moment I’m trying to get players ready for what’s going to be a long SPL season, so this tour has done us a lot of good."

Levein was also heartened by the return from injury of Jean-Louis Valois. The French midfield maestro missed the first two matches in Northern Ireland because of an Achilles problem.

William Murphy scored the only goal of the game six minutes into the second half when he headed in a cross from Aidan O’Kane.

Taken from the Scotsman