Dennis delight after double

PAUL KIDDIE

HEARTS hero Dennis Wyness today dedicated his match-winning double against Partick Thistle to baby daughter Nicole.

The new dad ended a five-month goal drought when he sent the Jags tumbling to defeat at Tynecastle on Saturday, the 26-year-old striking in each half to keep the Jambos flying high in third place in the SPL.

Wyness has struggled to find his best form since arriving in Gorgie in the summer from Inverness Caley Thistle, his only goal before the weekend coming in the 1-0 win over Dunfermline back in August.

However, having been preferred to fit-again Andy Kirk for the visit of bottom club Thistle, the front man repaid boss Craig Levein’s faith by rediscovering his scoring touch.

Wyness struck three minutes before the interval after a mistake by Adrian Madaschi and completed the victory in the 77th minute with a neat chip after Jamie Langfield’s blunder had left the visitors’ net completely unguarded.

"I have been feeling under a bit of pressure to score having managed just the one goal before Saturday since joining the club," he said.

"It was pleasing to get the goals but they were a long time coming.

"I wasn’t sure that I would play against Partick Thistle as Andy Kirk has been doing well. But I was delighted to get the nod and to get the two goals was brilliant.

"They are the first ones I have scored since my girl Nicole was born eight weeks ago and I’d like to dedicate them to her."

He added: "They were not the best goals of my career but I’ll take them, that’s for sure. Hopefully they will now help me to get a wee run in the team."

Levein, meanwhile, insisted that midfielder Stephen Simmons was taught a "short, sharp lesson" on Saturday.

The youngster suffered the ignominy of being substituted just 20 minutes after replacing Robbie Neilson in the second half of the win over Thistle after swearing at the Hearts bench.

But Levein stressed that the matter was now over.

"Stephen Simmons is a young boy and he swore at the bench," he said. "You can understand it coming from one of the experienced players but it is an issue with the younger ones. That’s why I took him off but it’s finished now. It was a short, sharp lesson for him."

Taken from the Scotsman