Level par suits Hearts boss Craig down to a tee

PAUL KIDDIE AT EAST END PARK

AS a keen golfer, Hearts boss Craig Levein will be familiar with the old adage: ‘it doesn’t matter how, it’s how many.’ And that is why the manner in which the Jambos secured a point from the weekend meeting with Dunfermline at East End Park will be of little concern to the Gorgie chief.

In some instances a 0-0 scoreline can be misleading, the result masking a game of full of excitement, numerous missed chances and a host of talking points.

Unfortunately, Saturday’s clash was not one of those occasions, the goalless draw testimony to an instantly forgettable encounter between two teams capable of offering so much more.

It’s not often you get two managers in complete agreement after a match but both Levein and his opposite number Jimmy Calderwood admitted the result suited Hearts far more than their hosts.

It may have been the kind of game which gives football a bad name but the share of the spoils has left the Edinburgh side firmly in the driving seat to clinch a place in Europe for the second successive season, a remarkable achievement given the continuous cost-cutting which Levein has been forced to implement over the last couple of years.

High-flying Hearts had gone into Saturday’s showdown with a nine-point advantage over their nearest rivals in the race for UEFA Cup qualification and knowing that a win would leave the Fifers facing a daunting task to make up the ground with just 12 games of the campaign remaining.

While victory in Fife would have been the icing on the cake for Levein and his men following the win over Livingston at Almondvale four days earlier - the Jambos’ first SPL triumph in West Lothian - the Gorgie boss went into the match well aware that a point would be a satisfactory return.

A draw away from home in the SPL is never a bad outcome and when it comes under such circumstances against your main rivals for a place in Europe, it can be regarded as mission accomplished.

Ironically, Hearts never approached the form they displayed on their previous outing on the Pars’ plastic pitch yet on this occasion at least had something to show for their efforts. Levein joked afterwards that he was glad he hadn’t had to pay to watch the uninspiring fare which was served up.

Thousands of Hearts fans did dig deep, however, many having to be accommodated in the North Stand after flooding the away end to saturation point with one of the largest travelling supports outwith the Old Firm to descend on Dunfermline for a considerable time.

And while they no doubt have had much better value for money this season, Saturday’s draw could prove to be one of the more significant results they have witnessed in the current campaign.

"It was a tousy match with very few chances and there wasn’t a lot to write home about," said Levein.

"But I think that could have been predicted given the importance of the match. But going away from East End Park with a nine-point gap intact is a good result for Hearts.

"Of course, we would have liked to have tested Derek Stillie in the Dunfermline goal more. It wasn’t our intention to over-hit our crosses or mis-hit the final pass.

"We didn’t really threaten but neither did Dunfermline. They had a few shots from distance and that was about it. It was pretty uninspiring stuff, to be honest, and both teams can play an awful lot better.

"The players were nervous and aware of the significance of the game and I think the occasion had a bearing on the way the match was played.

"Of the two managers, I have a point away from home and Jimmy Calderwood has lost two at home so I will be the happier man. The players aren’t daft and they knew a point wouldn’t be a bad result. I think there was an awareness in the team that if we didn’t lose it would be a decent day’s work."

Given a third away game in succession awaits this weekend at Kilmarnock followed by the visit of Rangers to the Capital, it was important Hearts took something from Saturday’s match. But they had to do so having been denied the services of the influential Mark de Vries and Paul Hartley through injuries picked up against Livingston.

In the absence of the Dutchman, Kevin McKenna, the goal hero at Almondvale with his late winner, had been widely expected to lead the line alongside Andy Kirk. But for once Levein ditched his preference for a target man in attack to field the Canadian in wide midfield, with Dennis Wyness getting the nod up front. And while the versatile McKenna, ever willing in whatever role he is handed, performed well and won a number of important headers when lending his height to attacks, there was precious little in the way of clear-cut chances for the strikers.

In fact, the home side was also guilty of failing to create much in front of goal, the Fifers having to resort to shooting from distance as the Hearts rearguard stood firm in the heat of battle.

After a bright opening which saw the Young brothers test Craig Gordon and Robert Sloan send a free-kick narrowly wide of target, the game became bogged down with neither side able to grab the initiative. It was more of the same after the break with little to excite the fans, although Greg Shields came close to breaking the deadlock with a rasping drive in the 58th minute which Gordon somehow managed to touch on to his left-hand post at full stretch, the ball rebounding to Steven Pressley who completed the clearance.

Aware that a point was of little benefit to his side, Calderwood moved Andy Tod into attack in the closing stages as the Pars threw everything at Hearts but with the resolute Pressley and Webster ably assisted by Alan Maybury at the back, there was just no way through for the Fifers.

The obvious satisfaction in the visitors’ ranks when Kenny Clark brought proceedings to a close told a story of a job well done.

Tynecastle chief executive Chris Robinson has submitted an application to play in the InterToto Cup this summer, the "fall-back measure" taken weeks before Hearts moved into such a commanding position in third place.

And thanks to this latest point, the Jambos look more than capable of booking their return to Europe without having to rely on such an insurance policy.

Taken from the Scotsman