Kirk makes the most of policy change

MIKE AITKEN AT FIRHILL

Partick Thistle 1Waddell (63)
Hearts 4 Kirk (13, 30), De Vries (27), Simmons (74)

ALTHOUGH far from flawless, by far the most telling consequence of a clinical Hearts’ performance in Maryhill was the heightened competition for places brought about by Craig Levein’s bold decision to omit half of the side regarded as automatic selections this season. If all of those blooded against Thistle grabbed their chance with enthusiasm, Andy Kirk’s two-goal contribution amounted to nothing less than a declaration of first team intent.

While it’s unlikely the head coach at Tynecastle was too thrilled by the manner in which Hearts went down with all hands at Celtic Park the previous weekend, the decision to omit Tepi Moilanen, Alan Maybury, Andy Webster, Phil Stamp and Dennis Wyness and bring in goalkeeper Craig Gordon, right back Robbie Neilson, centre-half Kevin McKenna, midfielder Paul Hartley and striker Kirk was almost certainly a response to an element of slackness which had crept into a number of displays during the previous month or so.

Having finished third in last season’s Premierleague and qualified for the UEFA Cup, the huge challenge facing Levein this year was to maintain standards in the face of greater expectations off the pitch as well as greater demands on it.

All of the clubs vying to establish themselves as the so-called third force in Scottish football have struggled since the introduction of the SPL to consolidate on success. This is partly because freedom of contract makes it difficult for most clubs to hang onto their best players and partly because it’s always easier to make an impact in a race as a dark horse than an established runner.

It’s also worth remembering how even the Old Firm, with vastly more extensive resources, can look vulnerable on the domestic front when they’re involved in Europe. Bearing all that in mind, Levein probably asked too much of too few in recent weeks and may wish he’d made the changes which restored vigour against Partick at an earlier date.

Easily the most successful switch on Saturday was the introduction of Kirk. Wyness, Graham Weir and Gary Wales are all contenders alongside the Ulsterman to partner Mark de Vries up front and Kirk was sufficiently concerned by the lack of opportunity to show what he can do that he’d sought a meeting with the coach to establish if he has a future at Tynecastle.

Starting a game for the first time this season, Kirk’s movement caused Thistle’s static rearguard a lot of problems. He read De Vries’s intentions well and ran onto the big man’s head flicks as if he’d been playing with the Dutchman week-in, week-out. It was from De Vries’s glancing header into space that Kirk burst through in the inside-left position after 13 minutes and drove the ball across Kenny Arthur into the corner of the net.

Once in front, Hearts were ruthless in front of goal. Hartley set up the second by running onto a through ball from Neil MacFarlane and targeting De Vries with a cut-back which the centre forward slid past Arthur. By the time Hartley’s inswinging corner was diverted at the near post by McKenna and finished off by Kirk, the game was all but over as a serious contest.

In the circumstances, it was alarming how Hearts lost control of the midfield at the start of the second-half and had to rely on a towering display from Scott Severin to steady the ship.

The arrival of Stephen Simmons alongside Severin for the last half an hour of the game also helped to stabilise Hearts in central midfield. Simmons supports the front men as well as anyone at Tynecastle, and his run into the box after another incisive run from Kirk inflicted more pain on the home side.

Apart from Ricky Waddell’s well-taken consolation goal and 15 minutes or so at the start of the second-half , this was a worryingly brittle display by Thistle. Physically, Celtic are the strongest team in the SPL, which is one of the reasons Martin O’Neill’s men are five points clear at the top, and Partick, five points adrift of Aberdeen at the bottom, are the softest touches.

The home supporters thought so little of the performances of Partick players they took the unprecedented step of voting for an astonished Kirk as man of the match.

If there are 10,000 reasons for thinking Thistle will stay in the SPL - on this evidence all of them are plastic seats.

• Hearts’ UEFA Cup opponents, Bordeaux, earned a creditable point by drawing 0-0 at Nice in their first game under Michel Pavon following the dismissal of coach Elie Baup.

Pavon declared himself pleased with the efforts of his players. "The coach is never the solution, it’s the players who are the key," he said. "Today I saw lots of them had cramp after the game and it was a pleasure."

Referee: W Young.

Attendance: 4,814

Taken from the Scotsman