Jambos feel the joy of six before visit of Bordeaux

PAUL KIDDIE

THE joy of six can rarely have felt so good for Hearts. Craig Levein’s Jambos continued their impressive run of form by chalking up their sixth consecutive victory with a comfortable 2-0 win over arch-rivals Hibs at Tynecastle.

It is six years since the Gorgie outfit last enjoyed such a tremendous sequence of results but yesterday was a sweet moment for the men in maroon as they stormed seven points clear of fourth-placed Motherwell by avenging the August derby defeat at Easter Road.

In recent times this fixture has been renowned for heart-stopping excitement as well as some fine football but, alas for the 16,632 fans inside the ground yesterday, there was precious little of either commodity on offer on this occasion.

The punters have perhaps been spoiled by the fare served up by the Capital rivals in the recent past. But you won’t find the home support complaining about the lack of quality on offer with the Jambos now having the bragging rights in the Capital until the next league meeting between the sides in February.

As Levein conceded afterwards, derby matches are all about winning.

How victory is achieved is immaterial. Winning is paramount and that is why the maroon half of Edinburgh will today be basking in the glory of this latest success.

Bizarrely it was two own goals which kept the points in Gorgie, but few could argue that the home side didn’t deserve to take the spoils, the ineffective Hibees offering very little in way of an attacking threat throughout the match.

Hearts won at a canter without ever being near their best - but the fact is they didn’t have to be with Bobby Williamson’s outfit struggling to make any sort of impression on their hosts.

With the UEFA Cup showdown against Bordeaux following just four days after the Hibs match, the Jambos could have been forgiven for having one eye on Europe.

But to their credit, the players all stuck to their task manfully to achieve just the kind of result they had been looking for ahead of the French test.

With such a big game so close to the Bordeaux clash, there was always the risk of injury for Hearts, and so it proved with skipper Steven Pressley picking up a thigh strain which Levein admitted was "99.9 per cent certain" to keep him out of the European tie.

The captain’s enforced departure from proceedings midway through the opening period was the one blot on what was a fruitful afternoon for the Gorgie side.

Such an influential player for Hearts, his absence could have been expected to cause a few tremors at the back for the home side. But his replacement Andy Webster slotted in so effortlessly alongside Kevin McKenna that the skipper was hardly missed.

"We spoke before the game about winning being the only thing on our minds," said Levein. "It was a must-win game, simple as that. And to deserve to do so is an added bonus.

"It may have been two own goals but do you think I am bothered? That doesn’t make any difference. We put the ball in dangerous areas and asked questions of their defence. We got the goals and I feel that we deserved to win the game."

The all-important opener arrived with just eight minutes on the clock, although there was more than an element of luck attached as Alen Orman put through his own net.

Paul Hartley swung in a low corner from the left. Grant Brebner took a fresh-air swipe at the ball and when Kevin Thomson cleared off the line, the unfortunate Orman could only watch as the ball ricocheted off his leg and into the net at Daniel Anderson’s near post.

It was a suitably scrappy counter and one which would ultimately reflect the kind of match which unfolded.

Hibs were a huge disappointment and their only real effort on goal came in the 16th minute, Craig Gordon doing well to palm away Derek Riordan’s near-post shot.

The match then became bogged down with little to set the pulses racing, Patrick Kisnorbo’s ambitious 30-yarder flying just over the top while Jean-Louis Valois’ 42nd-minute shot was too straight to cause Anderson problems.

The Swede denied Andy Kirk after the break when he did well to cut out Hartley’s cut back after good work from the former Hibs man and Mark de Vries. With such a slender advantage, there was always the chance the visitors could force their way back into the game but any hope of a Hibs fightback evaporated in the 66th minute with another own goal.

Robbie Neilson, back in the side after shaking off the ankle injury which ruled him out of the Aberdeen clash at Pittodrie, was the architect with a tantalising cross into the six-yard box from the right-hand side of the park.

With De Vries charging in, Gary Smith knew he had to make contact to try to prevent the Dutchman scoring.

And while he got to the ball first, his outstretched leg only succeeded in steering it past Anderson.

De Vries then looked set to inflict further damage on the visitors in the closing stages when Valois and Neil MacFarlane combined superbly to set up the giant front man, Mathias Doumbe doing magnificently to clear the danger.

"There have been plenty of games here recently live on the television with plenty of entertainment and excitement but I think yesterday was back to what we would call a typical derby," said Levein.

"It was a very hectic affair played at an incredible pace and I am very proud of my players that they showed they wanted to win and make up for what happened the last time at Easter Road."

The derby was the first half of a titanic double-header for Levein and his men, the visit of Bordeaux on Thursday yet another massive occasion for the Gorgie outfit.

The involvement in the UEFA Cup is a worthy reward for the glorious campaign last season and the Jambos have started this term determined to do their utmost to ensure more action in Europe next year.

"The players have a good mental strength and I was confident they would remain focused yesterday and pick up the points," added Levein.

"Points are what got us into the UEFA Cup and we would like to get back again next season."

Taken from the Scotsman