Paul's rewarded for impressive displays

PAUL KIDDIE

THE standing ovation which Paul Hartley received from the Hearts fans when he was replaced towards the end of the Celtic game must have been music to the midfielder’s ears.

The former Hibee has been trying desperately to win over the Gorgie faithful since his arrival from St Johnstone in the summer and Sunday’s reception as he left the field after an impressive performance against the league leaders at Tynecastle suggested it’s a battle in which he is succeeding.

Things started slowly in Gorgie for the 27-year-old as he adjusted to the rarified air of the SPL after turning on the style in the first division with Saints last season.

But having now found his feet again in the top flight, Hartley has been an almost ever-present in boss Craig Levein’s plans over the past few months.

He enjoyed arguably his best display since signing for the Jambos in the 1-0 defeat by the Glasgow giants at the weekend as the much-vaunted Parkhead midfield unit found it hard to cope at times with the industry of the likes of Hartley, Scott Severin and Phil Stamp.

The midfielder popped up all over the park in an effort to drive his team on to glory, a mission which ultimately proved unsuccessful with Stilian Petrov’s first-half strike all that separated the teams on the day after a keenly contested affair.

Hartley is the first to admit he should have crowned his performance with a first-half goal to haul the home side back into the game, the midfielder heading wide from great position after a cross from Patrick Kisnorbo had picked him out on the edge of the six-yard area.

It looked easier to score but the former Raith Rovers and Millwall man proved to be the wrong player in the right place as he guided his header wide of Rab Douglas’ right-hand post with just the keeper to beat.

An equaliser at that stage, just five minutes from the interval, would have given the hosts real impetus to come out after the break and perhaps repeat last April’s famous victory.

But it wasn’t to be as Martin O’Neill’s outfit repelled everything Hearts threw at them to restore their imposing 11-point advantage over Rangers at the top of the table.

The fact the Gorgie faithful were willing to forgive him his glaring miss perhaps speaks volumes for the quality of his own display, although that didn’t ease the pain.

"I just made a late run into the box and tried to direct the header on target," he said. "But to be honest I didn’t realise where the goal was. I was very disappointed as I should have at least hit the target and made the keeper save it.

"Heading isn’t the strongest part of my game but sometimes you have to get in there and try to make chances happen. It’s a question of being patient with the runs from midfield. If I keep making them then more chances will come along.

"I am feeling happy with my game just now and while it took me bit of time to get started at Hearts, I am really enjoying things at the moment."

Sunday’s performance was the best Hearts have produce for some weeks, making the lack of success all the more difficult for the Jambos to accept. However, with last-placed Partick Thistle due at Tynecastle this weekend, Hartley knows the players cannot afford to let the pain of defeat linger too long.

"We were all very disappointed not to take anything from the Celtic match after putting so much into it," he said. "We were down immediately after the game as it was a very good performance from the players, a fantastic team effort which should give us a lot of confidence.

"We now have to look ahead to Saturday’s match against Partick. Our home form has been pretty good but we have to start picking up points again. It will be tough as Thistle are fighting for their SPL lives. But there is not much point in showing that we can compete well against Celtic only to slip up against Partick."

Taken from the Scotsman