Late equaliser is a tough one for Jambos manager

PAUL KIDDIE AT RUGBY PARK

IT was a case of hard to Berra for Hearts at Rugby Park after Danny Invincibile’s late equaliser rescued a point for Kilmarnock.

Much has been made of the Jambos youth policy in recent years and the latest graduate was on show in Ayrshire, with teenager Christophe Berra making his first start for the Gorgie outfit in yesterday’s SPL clash.

The youngster was given his big chance by boss Craig Levein after skipper Steven Pressley was laid low by a stomach bug over the weekend and the defender repaid his manager’s faith with an impressive performance at the heart of the visitors’ rearguard.

The 19-year-old looked set to pick up his first win bonus on his full debut - he has previously made two substitute appearances this season - until he was unfortunate to touch on a Stevie Murray corner into the path of Invincibile with three minutes remaining, the Australian making the most of the opportunity by burying his close-range header behind Craig Gordon.

It was a disappointing finale for Hearts, who had worked hard to put themselves within touching distance of another vital victory on the road.

With nearest rivals Dunfermline on Tennent’s Scottish Cup duty, the trip to Ayrshire offered Levein’s men the chance to storm 12 points clear in the race for Europe, albeit with one more game played than the Pars.

And with Andy Webster having given his side the lead with his first league goal of the season on the hour mark, it looked as if the Tynecastle outfit would be returning to the Capital having done themselves a power of good in the quest to secure a place in the UEFA Cup for the second year running.

A point at Rugby Park can never be regarded as a bad result, although the late concession with just 180 seconds on the clock meant the share of the spoils must have felt more like a defeat for Levein.

"After taking stock of everything I might be happy with the point but there is still a tinge of disappointment," he said.

"To be in front with three minutes to go and to lose a goal from a corner, which we are normally very good at defending, is disappointing.

"But that has no bearing whatsoever on the players’ performance, it’s just the fact we were in front and didn’t win the match."

Before kick-off the Hearts boss would probably have settled for a point for a number of reasons.

It was his side’s third away game in succession and having taken four points from the matches at Livingston and Dunfermline, he could have been forgiven for adopting a cautious approach to the match.

He was also forced to go into the clash not only without the experience of Pressley but also the injured Mark de Vries and the suspended duo of Paul Hartley and Patrick Kisnorbo.

All that meant it was one of the youngest Hearts teams this season which took to the field, Joe Hamill and Robert Sloan being used on either flank. But it didn’t stop Levein reflecting on what might have been.

"We have had three difficult away games in a row and if we had managed three draws away from home I wouldn’t have been disappointed at all but we have got five [points]," he said. "When I take stock later on I know I’ll be happy but at this moment in time I’m a bit disappointed."

In the absence of Pressley, the responsibility to organise the backline fell on the shoulders of 21-year-old Webster and how the Scotland star excelled as the ‘senior’ partner alongside Berra.

"We had a lot of players missing," added Levein. "It was an inexperienced back line - we had a young lad in Robbie Neilson playing out of position at left-back, Andy Webster, Christophe Berra and Alan Maybury, so it wasn’t exactly our recognised back four.

"I thought Christophe had a smashing full debut but most of the credit must go to Andy Webster. I asked him to do a similar job to what Elvis has been doing with him, that is to nurse the young lad through the game and I thought he had a smashing match."

A rare error from Webster after 14 minutes, when he was turned by Eric Skora, gave Killie a chance but the Frenchman drilled his shot into the side netting.

Kevin McKenna, again deployed in an attacking role, then fired an angled drive over the top before his knock-down found Webster in great position, the defender finding himself the wrong man in the right position as he scooped a shot over the bar after holding off David Lilley.

Three minutes from the break Kris Boyd shot narrowly over, Gordon looking as if he may have got an important touch and then Eric Skora lashed a shot from 14 yards straight into the arms of the Hearts keeper. The home side had by far the better of the opening exchanges after the break with Gary Locke, Invincibile and Freddy Dindeleux all having chances before Webster’s counter against the run of play.

A Sloan corner was cleared only as far as Phil Stamp on the far side of the penalty box and the midfielder’s shot back across the area didn’t appear to be too dangerous until Webster stuck out a boot to divert it past substitute keeper Graeme Smith, Colin Meldrum having gone off injured two minutes after the restart.

And Smith was the home hero eight minutes later when he did superbly to block Sloan’s shot from Maybury’s cross.

Graham Weir, who had just come on for Andy Kirk, had a glorious opportunity to wrap up the points with his first touch but he blazed over the bar from just inside the six-yard box, a miss which was to prove so costly.

Just as it seemed Hearts were going to close out the match, up popped Invincibile with his late header for a point home boss Jim Jefferies believed his team fully merited.

"If we hadn’t got a point it would have been a travesty," he said afterwards.

"I didn’t think we deserved to be behind as they scored against the run of play. Hearts defended well but they had to in order to keep us out.

"Credit to the boys for keeping going. Hearts are a difficult side to face and are not easy to beat but I thought we maybe did enough to take all three points at the end of the day."

Taken from the Scotsman