Jambos herald triumph during draw with Celtic

PAUL KIDDIE AT TYNECASTLE

HEARTS may have been denied three points by a last-minute save from Celtic’s David Marshall - but there was still a ‘victory’ for the home fans to celebrate.

Tynecastle has been the scene in recent weeks of organised protests over Chris Robinson and his plan to move to Murrayfield next season, supporters campaigning vigorously against such a switch.

And those fans will have been delighted to hear the chief executive’s declaration during the half-time interval yesterday that it is looking "increasingly likely" the club will be staying put for another season.

No sooner had George Foulkes been unveiled as the new Hearts chairman than the MP made it clear it was his priority to ensure the "mad rush to Murrayfield" was postponed to allow more time to consider long-term stadium options for the Gorgie outfit, a stance which won much acclaim among the fans.

Although keen to stress nothing has been finalised about remaining at Tynecastle for another 12 months, Foulkes is confident he will be able to deliver the goods, probably in around a week’s time following more talks with major creditors Halifax Bank of Scotland and Scottish Media Group.

And that development will be music to the Gorgie faithful’s ears, who will feel they have played their own significant role in making the board sit up and listen.

Certainly, as yesterday’s visit of the champions demonstrated, when both sets of fans are in full voice, there are few better grounds in Scotland for atmosphere.

Yes, there were lulls as the Hearts supporters staged further demonstrations 30 minutes into each half - and in such a keenly contested fixture it was strange to see events off the park at times overshadow the action on the pitch.

But in general the noise generated by the 12,112 fans inside the ground was a perfect advert for the crumbling old stadium.

The travelling band of Hoops followers didn’t have long to wait for their opportunity to raise the roof, debutant Aiden McGeady firing Celtic in front with 17 minutes on the clock.

The ball broke to the youngster in the area as Andy Webster challenged Stan Varga at Stilian Petrov’s free-kick, and his right-foot shot whistled past the despairing dive of Craig Gordon and into the net off the inside of the keeper’s right-hand post.

Therein lay the difference between the two sides in the opening half. The slightest glimpse of goal and the champions had the lead. Hearts, on the other hand, were again found lacking when the chips were down.

Andy Kirk had his side’s best chance just after the half-hour mark when he was straight through on Marshall, the keeper saving well at the striker’s feet and no doubt relieved to see the Northern Ireland front man blast the rebound over the bar with the net seemingly at his mercy.

Despite turning round at the break one goal behind, Levein clearly felt his men could take something from the match and the Jambos boss went on the attack 11 minutes after the break with the introduction of De Vries for Patrick Kisnorbo as he switched to a 4-3-3 formation.

And how the giant Dutchman made his presence felt.

He held off Varga in the 62nd minute before firing wide but found his range with 74 minutes on the clock to blast Hearts level.

Scott Severin’s cross in from the right was missed by Johan Mjallby and De Vries was there to smash the ball home in off the same post as McGeady had done.

Roared on by their supporters, Hearts came agonisingly close to repeating their comeback triumph of just over a year ago when Austin McCann was the Gorgie hero. Marshall had to look lively to produce a good save to turn away a Hartley free-kick five minutes from time and the Celts’ man-of-the- moment surpassed that effort with the full-length save which kept out De Vries’ last-minute shot, a save which ensured a point apiece for each side.

While there was little but pride at stake for Celtic, who were crowned champions the previous weekend only to then lose their incredible unbeaten home record to Aberdeen in midweek, Hearts are still very much involved in the race for Europe. And yesterday’s result takes Levein and his men another step closer to a UEFA Cup return, a remarkable achievement given all the off-field nonsense which has engulfed the club this year.

The statistics make happy reading for the Hearts boss. With four games remaining, the Jambos are six points clear of nearest rivals Dunfermline, with a vastly superior goal difference, and 11 ahead of fourth-placed Motherwell. And in the aftermath of yesterday’s showdown, Levein was quick to praise the ‘resilience’ shown by his side over the past few months.

"To be one down and end up with a point is always reasonably pleasing but we might just have sneaked it," he said. "Marshall made an unbelievable save in the final minutes otherwise we might have taken all three points.

"All credit to the lads, though. Everything that has been happening off the pitch has had an effect but I must comment on the resilience of the players. It is not easy to concentrate on football when things which are alien to them are going on off the park.

"A lot of the lads have been playing professional football for a number of years and won’t have experienced anything like that. The fact they have managed to stay focused and go about their business in such a manner is real credit to them."

With both Dunfermline and Motherwell still to visit Gorgie, it seems just a matter of time before Hearts confirm their European participation again. With the Pars facing Celtic in the Tennent’s Scottish Cup final at Hampden next month, fourth place in the SPL is now good enough for entry into the UEFA Cup.

Hearts may be on course for a return ticket to Europe and they are determined to achieve that honour by claiming third spot for the second season running.

They may have stumbled a bit recently but after a second draw with Martin O’Neill’s all-conquering Celtic team in a matter of weeks, surely few people will argue they don’t deserve to be crowned ‘best of the rest’.

Taken from the Scotsman