Sluggish Hearts fail to stick to the script

MARK BONTHRONE AT FIRHILL

ALL the statistics suggested Hearts would have a comfortable afternoon against Partick Thistle at Firhill.

The Europe-bound Jambos were unbeaten in ten matches and had not lost in Maryhill since 1995. Their opponents, meanwhile, destined for First Division football next season, had failed to record an SPL win in two months.

However, somebody clearly forgot to inform the two teams of how the script should read as both turned in performances that belied their current league positions.

Hearts slumped to a surprise 1-0 defeat as they turned in one of their poorest displays of the season, boss Craig Levein later admitting that the best they had ever looked like getting out of the game was a 0-0 draw.

Partick, meanwhile, played like a side who had had all the pressure lifted from their shoulders, perhaps after realising they were already all but consigned to relegation.

Even the usually-dependable Steven Pressley was out of sorts for the visitors, his woefully short header back to goalkeeper Craig Gordon being pounced upon by Andy Thomson, who gratefully accepted the gift to score what proved to be the only goal of the game at the start of the second half.

The Jambos, who just seven days earlier had come so close to beating champions-elect Celtic, failed to trouble Jamie Langfield in goal during the 90 minutes and looked as though they could have played all afternoon without posing a serious threat. Indeed, against a better team, Hearts could have been on the end of a heavy defeat as too many players failed to get anywhere near the standards they have set for themselves during what has been a successful season.

While Levein had suggested pure and simple bad luck played a part in his side dropping points at Motherwell last midweek, he admitted the players only had themselves to blame this time.

"It was just one of those days," he said. "We are all disappointed but it happens sometimes. We have played three games in a week and played well in the first two but didn’t play particularly well in this one.

"It was a day when I think our best players were probably defenders and the best we could really have hoped for from the game was nothing each. Even then we have made a mistake defensively which has ended up costing us the match. We have had a hard week and some of the guys were away on international duty the week before that as well. There was a real sense of frustration at the end of the game as the quality wasn’t anywhere near what it has been this season.

"When it’s just one or two players you can sometimes get by but there were far too many players who didn’t perform to the level they can do.

"We are still in third place, though, and there’s a long way to go. Had we won this game then that would have helped us move towards getting third place but it wouldn’t have been over. We will just have to try and win the next game."

Hearts had been boosted before kick-off as Andy Webster passed a late fitness test to start his first game since last month’s 1-1 draw with Rangers at Tynecastle.

However, there was again no Phil Stamp, who has now missed the last three matches with a back injury while Scott Severin also dropped out of the squad.

The afternoon began brightly for the Jambos with Paul Hartley getting an early effort in on goal although his 35-yard free-kick lacked any real conviction and was comfortably held by Langfield. At the other end, a long ball into the area seemed to cause confusion in the Hearts defence, allowing Thomson to nip in and loop a header over the advancing Gordon, but thankfully for the visitors the ball fell just wide of the left-hand post.

Midway through the first period the Jags started to stamp their authority on the game and nine minutes from the interval Hartley did well to block a powerful 14-yard shot from John-Paul McBride that looked to have Gordon struggling.

Hearts’ best chance of the match fell to Alan Maybury four minutes later when he was picked out at the back post by Hartley but rather than taking a touch he chose to hit the ball on the volley from seven yards and his effort sailed high over the crossbar.

With 50 minutes on the clock, Thistle deservedly broke the deadlock with a goal that Hearts captain Pressley will want to forget. There appeared to be little danger when a long kick-out from Langfield was met by the head of Pressley 35 yards from his own goal but instead of clearing it upfield the Scotland internationalist tried to play it back to his goalkeeper, allowing Thomson to nip in.

The forward still had a lot to do, but as Gordon raced from his line to try and narrow the angle he delightfully lobbed the ball over his head and into the unguarded net.

Hearts were denied a penalty two minutes later when Hartley went down inside the area, referee Alan Freeland compounding the midfielder’s sense of injustice by also booking him for diving. The former St Johnstone playmaker’s day was to get even worse, however, with the official showing him a second yellow card two minutes from time for a needless foul on Jamie Mitchell.

Right at the death, Thistle almost doubled their advantage when Thomson was denied a second goal of the afternoon when his powerful 12-yard effort was superbly turned round the post by Gordon.

And despite his team’s poor showing, Levein felt things could have turned out differently had his side been awarded a penalty when Hartley appeared to be felled inside the area.

"I don’t think it was in any way a booking, in fact I think it was a penalty," said the Hearts boss. "The referee had booked one of their players for diving just before so maybe he was trying to even things up. So we were really doubly punished as not only did we not get a penalty but we also got a player booked. I can’t argue with the sending-off though as once you are on a booking you can’t go making such a silly challenge."

Taken from the Scotsman