Hearts hit top gear before Gers and NK Zeljeznicar visit Gorgie

KILMARNOCK 0-2 HEARTS

PAUL KIDDIE

ONE notable absentee from the away dug-out at Rugby Park on Saturday was Hearts assistant boss Peter Houston, Craig Levein’s No.2 having flown out to Sarajevo to spy on UEFA Cup opponents NK Zeljeznicar as the Jambos management team compile an in-depth dossier on the side they meet at Tynecastle in the first round, first leg on Wednesday week.

With just Sunday’s showdown against Rangers in the Capital to go before the teams meet, presumably their European rivals are doing something similar.

And if they did indeed take the opportunity to see Hearts in action in Ayrshire at the weekend, they will have witnessed a performance which will have sent waves of fear shuddering through the Bosnian camp.

If their coaching staff had been hoping to take a video back to the Balkans to highlight possible weaknesses that could be exploited in nine days’ time, it would have proved a pointless exercise as the visitors were simply magnificent against Kilmarnock.

Levein is not one to get carried away by his team’s displays but when he describes the 2-0 triumph over Jim Jefferies’ outfit as the "best we have played since I have been here", you know it was a special 90 minutes from the men in maroon.

Controversy raged during the Hearts boss’ last visit to Rugby Park in May, Levein being hauled before the Scottish Football Association for comments about referee Dougie McDonald’s display that day as Killie edged home to keep their slim hopes for European qualification alive.

But in stark contrast, his mood could not have been more different on Saturday as the Jambos went about their business in a manner which suggested they were a team on a mission.

If his side had set the standard with a third-place finish last term, then they have raised the bar for the current campaign with the systematic destruction of Kilmarnock in a surprisingly one-sided encounter.

Dutchman Mark de Vries was the destroyer-in-chief with two well-taken goals in the opening period but the hosts were fortunate not to go in at the interval with an even bigger deficit to overcome, such was the visitors’ sheer dominance of the match.

Jefferies, who threw on three replacements at half-time in a desperate attempt to stem the flow, admitted afterwards he would have substituted half his team at the break had rules permitted. And although the home side made a better game of it in the second half, Tepi Moilanen remained untroubled in the Hearts goal with the Finn’s team-mates always looking the more likely to stretch their advantage rather than lose the initiative.

Hearts took the game by the scruff of the neck from the minute Hugh Dallas got proceedings underway and De Vries set the tone for an impressive afternoon when he did well to set up Scott Severin after just nine minutes, the midfielder dragging his shot wide from a good position when he should have been at least forcing Colin Meldrum into a save. Fans perhaps wondered if Hearts would live to regret such generosity in front of goal but those fears were allayed just four minutes later when the opener, which the Jambos’ early play deserved, duly arrived.

Aussie ace Patrick Kisnorbo, who slotted well into the left-back berth on his first start for the club, played a ball over the Killie defence and De Vries’ control was superb as he turned his marker and rounded Meldrum before slotting home from the tightest of angles.

Moments later and Hearts could have had a penalty when a Kisnorbo header appeared to strike an arm in the box - Dallas would later reject much stronger appeals after De Vries was held back by Barry McLaughlin early in the second half. The official, who didn’t caution the striker for diving, was perhaps feeling sorry for Killie as the award of a foul would have surely meant a straight red card for the defender.

For the first time this season, Hearts’ passing game clicked into top gear - and Kilmarnock were left chasing shadows for long spells as Jefferies’ men were given the run around, particularly in the first half.

Dennis Wyness linked well on numerous occasions and De Vries was almost the beneficiary of another fine move involving the Aberdonian and Alan Maybury in the 25th minute, the striker’s shot being deflected for a corner. Two minutes later and De Vries turned the Ayrshire defence on a sixpence but chose to play in Joe Hamill on the left and the opening was lost.

The Dutch ace then combined with the youngster again, this time Wyness just failing to get a good enough contact on the cross to steer it past Meldrum.

Hearts were beating stronger than ever at this point and De Vries duly doubled his team’s advantage five minutes from the break when he rose to head home Hamill’s corner. Killie’s first attempt on goal actually didn’t come until the 41st minute and Gary McSwegan’s shot which flew hopelessly wide pretty much summed-up the home side’s first-half efforts. While the introduction of Colin Nish, Martin Hardie and Stevie Murray provided a bit more urgency to Killie, the Jambos defence remained rock solid - and even had a willing helper in the form of De Vries who made a number of clearing headers in his own box at set pieces.

The former Dordrecht hit-man deserved a hat-trick and he was only denied by an offside flag eight minutes from time after he finished off another fine move.

"We have scored seven goals and five goals in games but in an all-round sense that was as well as we have played since I’ve been here," said Levein.

" Kilmarnock upped the tempo in the second half and so did we. Although we didn’t play as well after the break because we weren’t allowed to, it was still a very pleasing performance. Mark de Vries did his part defensively, too, and I get as much pleasure from that as I do him scoring goals because he is back helping others.

"The fact he did that means he has bought into the fact that we’re a team and not all about Mark de Vries. Dennis Wyness’ link-up play was excellent and because of that we were able to play better football and grew in confidence.

"Hopefully we can take that into our next game against Rangers."

More of the same and the champions will be in for a severe examination on Sunday afternoon.


Taken from the Scotsman