Levein knows Hearts must beat stronger

BY head coach Craig Levein’s own admission, Hearts are currently playing well within themselves.

Yet despite being some way off top form, the Jambos sit a clear third in the SPL and are about to savour a glamour European tie against Bordeaux.

The Tynecastle men were outplayed for significant periods of Saturday’s clash with Livingston but resilience and ruthlessness saw them eke out a 3-1 victory.

On balance of play, the scoreline was decidedly harsh on the visitors but Hearts showed the mark of a good side to convert a poor performance into a positive result.

Andy Kirk was again the match-winner, following on from his decisive strike in the CIS Cup clash with Falkirk in midweek and his brace at Partick Thistle last weekend.

The Irishman’s double means he has now struck five times in three games and for that alone the Jambos can approach Thursday’s UEFA Cup second round first leg tie in France with some optimism.

There’s no more valuable asset in football than a striker on form and Kirk is carrying the confidence of a man who believes he will score every time he steps on to the park.

Initially, it looked like he would endure a barren afternoon given the form of former team-mate Roddy McKenzie, the newly-crowned Bank of Scotland player of the month.

The Livingston goalkeeper made a smart save early doors from the forward’s snap-shot and for much of the afternoon he was forced to forage for scraps given the solidity of the visitors’ defence.

The service to Kirk and strike partner Mark de Vries was at a premium until Levein reshuffled his midfield in the wake of the Lions’ opener eight minutes after the break.

The introduction of first Stephen Simmons and then Dennis Wyness injected enthusiasm and energy into the centre of the park and the home side shifted up a couple of gears.

Kirk was in the right place to bundle home the equaliser midway through the half and then produced a fine finish for the second as he lashed the ball behind McKenzie.

The scoring was completed in injury-time when skipper Steven Pressley converted a controversial penalty awarded when De Vries tumbled under the close attentions of Brian Kerr.

Despite the fact the midfielder appeared to play the ball, referee Stuart Dougal had no hesitation in awarding the spot-kick and immediately produced a red card from his breast pocket - flashing it not at Kerr but at David McNamee who had reacted angrily to the decision.

Given that Kerr was the last man it seemed baffling the whistler should choose not to show him at least a yellow card but such matters didn’t concern Pressley, who finished with aplomb.

As the ball crashed into the net Levein was able to relax and let out a sigh of relief after an afternoon of considerable tension.

That relief manifested itself in his unusually prompt appearance at the post match press conference where he said: "I was really pleased with the way we finished the game, we weren’t firing on all cylinders but after a sticky spell in the wake of their goal we started to pick up.

"We looked a bit lacklustre, we were working hard enough but going forward there was no great spark.

"We made a couple of changes in midfield, bringing on Simmy, who is an attacking player, along with Dennis later on. We were taking a chance that we might concede again at the other end but we felt we had to do that. I’m delighted for Kirky again. He has had to be patient but he has grasped his chance with both hands.

"He brings us something different and the fact he has had to wait seems to have built a real hunger in him."

The goalkeeping position had occupied much attention in the build-up to the match. Levein had admitted he faced a dilemma over whether to continue with youngster Craig Gordon, who had replaced Tepi Moilanen for the previous two matches.

Gordon’s midweek error for Falkirk’s equaliser last Wednesday had cast some doubt over his involvement but the 20-year-old performed capably against the Lions making a fine first-half reflex stop from David Fernandez and also denying Kerr, Juanjo Camacho and Derek Lilley.

It was Lilley who opened the scoring. Former Hearts midfielder Lee Makel saw a shot blocked but pounced on the rebound himself to cut the ball back from the goal-line which the forward diverted over the line.

Livingston could have wrapped up the points with two subsequent chances but Camacho shot straight at Gordon after being fed by Lovell before both Lovell and Lilley went for the same dropping ball around eight yards out and thwarted each others’ attempts to apply what would have been a straightforward finish.

Simmons forced a good save out of McKenzie before De Vries fashioned the equaliser, holding off Marvin Andrews and drilling in a low left foot shot which Kirk prodded over the line at the back post.

The second came five minutes from the end as Kirk took advantage of a ball threaded between Andrews and Rubio to fire the ball home.

The penalty provoked much argument and debate at the final whistle but it had no bearing on the actual result which saw the Jambos stretch four points clear of fourth-placed Dundee in the bid to win the title of best of the non-Old Firm rest.

Nevertheless, Hearts will have to raise their game considerably on Thursday.

Mistakes are far likelier to be punished on the European stage and a sluggish display is sure to be dealt with mercilessly by Bordeaux on their own patch.

Levein is fully aware of this and he believes the fact his side have won three matches on the trot will give them the confidence to travel to France in the correct frame of mind.

He continued: "We’ve won three games in a row now so that gives us confidence heading out there. Livingston provided us with a huge test but we showed tremendous character to come back and come up trumps. We will need to be on our game come Thursday but I’m sure the players will be ready for the occasion."

Taken from the Scotsman