Steady Hearts get job done

STUART BATHGATE AT OLYMPIC STADIUM

ZELJEZNICAR 0
HEARTS 0

A PERFORMANCE which only rarely rose above the competent was nonetheless enough last night to see Hearts through to tomorrow’s second-round draw of the UEFA Cup. The Scots side and their Bosnian opponents had half a dozen decent chances each to alter the scoreline from the 2-0 at which it had stood from the 58th minute of the first leg, but it was a fitting summation of the football on show that neither was able to score.

It was an evening which required a lot of hard, unglamorous labour, and each of the Hearts players contributed well in that respect without anyone being too noticeable for the quality rather than quantity of his work. Still, as it has been quite a few seasons since no Scottish side other than the Old Firm has got beyond the first round of this competition, it would be churlish to complain too much about the lack of highlights.

This has to go down as a step forward, albeit a modest one, for a Hearts squad which is developing steadily under the guidance of Craig Levein, who has himself just passed beyond his novitiate as a manager.

With almost a full squad from which to choose, Levein was able to select a stronger line-up than had begun the first leg at Tynecastle. Jean-Louis Valois, having joined up with the rest of the party yesterday after attending his grandfather’s funeral in France, was in his customary position on the left of midfield, with Phil Stamp on the right and Scott Severin playing centrally alongside Neil MacFarlane.

The back four was the same as in recent league matches, with Patrick Kisnorbo at left-back – an unaccustomed position for the Australian, but one in which he is learning quickly. The only surprise sprung by Levein came up front, where Graham Weir was preferred to both Andy Kirk and Dennis Wyness as a partner for Mark de Vries.

The pitch looked heavy yet well maintained after a rainy day, but the rest of the stadium is in a state of disrepair. If this is the best ground in the Bosnian capital, it is easy to see why Zeljeznicar are currently not allowed to play at their own ground. Right next to the stadium, a cemetery provided a poignant reminder of why so much of this country is in need of a lot more than a lick of paint. The war is long over, but its consequences are omni-present.

The 300-strong contingent of Hearts fans who travelled over for the match were impeccable ambassadors for the club. They brought over toys for a children’s charity with Scottish connections, and laid a wreath at the city-centre memorial to Sarajevo’s war dead.

For their part, the Zeljo fans showed little interest in turning their stadium into the seething cauldron of hatred which some had predicted. They were vociferous enough when the match began, but experience of real hostilities has helped most of them understand the futility of getting too worked up about football. A handful, alas, made monkey noises on occasion at De Vries: learning from ethnic hatred, it seems, will always be beyond the powers of a few benighted souls.

The Dutchman might have quietened the locals down if he had managed to score with the first chance of the match in the opening minute, but Kenan Hasagic got down well to block. That let-off for Zeljo was a sign that Hearts, as Levein had said, wanted to play an open game, but the danger of that strategy soon became apparent as the home side began to exploit gaps in their opponents’ defence. Before the game was ten minutes old Kisnorbo was twice forced into last-ditch blocks, while on the 20-minute mark Sretko Vuksanovic made space for himself only to shoot wide from the edge of the box.

A trip by Andy Webster on Dzelaludin Muharemovic earned the centre-back a yellow card and Zeljo a free-kick some ten yards in from the right corner flag, but the chance was wasted. Valois then joined his colleague in the referee’s book after a stupid sliding tackle when the ball was in the Bosnians’ half, and Edis Mulalic soon followed for a trip on the Frenchman.

As half time approached the game was in danger of collapsing beneath the weight of its own mediocrity, and the poor standard of play was further highlighted in the 33rd minute when Muharemovic, put through on Tepi Moilanen by a clever pass from Vuksanovic, could do no more than shoot clumsily past the Finn.

By half-time Hearts had begun to impose themselves physically, but after the break Zeljeznicar seized the initiative, and five minutes in Sanel Jahic should have done better than blast over a volley from the right-hand edge of the box.

For all that they were living dangerously, though, Hearts were still in the reassuring position of knowing that one goal would kill off the tie. As the hour approached, they twice almost made the breakthrough, with first Webster then Valois seeing their shots saved by Hasagic.

Though not playing with any great distinction, Hearts were playing patiently, and had some success in slowing the game down. Still, the booking of Moilanen for time-wasting at a as he prepared to take a goal-kick seemed a touch harsh.

Denis Karic was the last name in the book as time ran out, and the Zeljo support provided polite applause for both sides before trailing off home.

Zeljeznicar: Hasagic, Biscevic, Kajtaz, Mulalic, Alihodzic, Karic, Gredic (Joldic 78), Muharemovic, Jahic, Vuksanovic (Avdija 71), Obad (Dzeko 63). Subs not used: Adilovic, Spahic, Rascic, Hadzic.

Hearts: Moilanen, Maybury, Pressley, Webster, Kisnorbo, Stamp (Hartley 84), MacFarlane, Severin, Valois, De Vries (McKenna 87), Weir (Wyness 75). Subs not used: Gordon, McCann, Kirk, Simmons.

Referee: A Stredak (Slvk). Att: 20,000

Taken from the Scotsman