Kilmarnock 1 Hearts 1

By Ronnie Esplin, PA Sport

A late header from striker Danny Invincibile gave battling Kilmarnock a deserved point against UEFA Cup hopefuls Hearts at Rugby Park.

An Andy Webster goal after 59 minutes had given the visitors an undeserved lead but it looked like the visitors would hang on for three valuable points.

But the dogged Ayrshire side kept on fighting and with only four minutes remaining the Australian was at the back post to head in a Stephen Murray corner which had somehow evaded a crowd of players in the six-yard box.

The goal was just reward for the home team who contributed as much as the Edinburgh side to a game which was never the most fluid but which had its fair share of excitement.

With two wins over the Rugby Park men already this season, the visitors began the game with no fears and the opening exchanges were all in favour of the Tynecastle men.

With defender Kevin McKenna posing a real threat up front in his new temporary role, the visitors forced a couple of early corners which came to nothing but it appeared Kilmarnock were taking their time to settle down.

In the seventh minute Jambos striker Andy Kirk cleverly worked some room at the edge of the Killie box but his curled, left-footed shot went high and wide of the target.

The home side were offering little in return, save for being caught offside on a couple of occasions, although in the 14th minute on-loan midfielder Erik Skora had a decent effort on goal from 16 yards out which hit the side-netting.

In the 20th minute the visitors fashioned the best chance of the game when, on the counter-attack, Kirk found McKenna free on the right but the big Canadian's powerful drive from the edge of the box went inches over Killie keeper Colin Meldrum's crossbar.

As the first half wore on Hearts, with Phil Stamp in fine form, continued to control the midfield but still they could not really threaten Meldrum.

In the 35th minute Hearts defender Andy Webster latched onto a McKenna header in the Killie penalty area but the attention of defender Barry McLaughlin led to the Scottish international's shot from 10 yards sailing over the bar.

Just before the interval Killie striker Kris Boyd shrugged off Hearts defender Alan Maybury after taking a pass from Stephen Murray but his shot from 14 yards went just over.

There was an early blow for the home side a minute into the second half when Meldrum went off injured and was replaced by 21-year-old debutant Graeme Smith, the third Kilmarnock goalkeeper to make his debut this season.

However, Killie took the initiative and captain Gary Locke came close with a low 20-yard drive which went only inches past Craig Gordon's left-hand post.

Then Invincibile brought off a good save from the Hearts keeper with a volley from outside the box which nearly sneaked in at the post.

The Ayrshire men, fired with enthusiasm, were on top now and pushing Hearts deeper into their own half.

And in the 57th minute rejuvenated Kilmarnock should have taken the lead when a fabulous Skora free-kick was whipped in from the right and found Invincibile but the Australian's close-range header was straight at Gordon.

But in the 59th minute the home side's good work was undone when the visitors took the lead with a goal out of the blue.

Following an over-hit corner from midfielder Robert Sloan on the left, Stamp slammed a low shot through a forest of legs and Webster got a touch on the ball from 12 yards out to send it into the net for his first goal of the season.

It was cruel luck on the home side and their confidence immediately drained away in contrast to Hearts who seemed to find an extra yard all over the park.

Kilmarnock fought furiously to get back into the game but in the 78th minute Hearts substitute Graham Weir, with his first touch of the ball after replacing Kirk a minute earlier, blasted the ball over the bar from close range when a goal seemed likely.

But in the 86th minute, as the game seemed to be heading out of their reach, the home side got a deserved equaliser.

A Murray corner from the right came over a crowded six-yard box and Invincibile was on hand to head home at the back post.

Taken from sportinglife.com