Weir on the right tracks for season's big kick-off

MARK BONTHRONE
AT NEW BROOMFIELD

HEARTS boss Craig Levein today declared himself satisfied with his side’s 1-1 draw with Airdrie United at the weekend - but admitted there was room for improvement.

Having been tested in the searing heat of Canada recently the Tynecastle men had to endure the kind of weather they are more accustomed to on Saturday as the 90 minutes were interspersed with torrential downpours.

They also had to contend with an Airdrie side who, after Owen Coyle gave them the lead against the run of play, got men behind the ball and attempted to frustrate their higher division opponents.

Despite dominating proceedings for long spells at New Broomfield, Hearts offered little in the way of an attacking threat until Graham Weir stepped off the bench and made an almost immediate impact by netting the equaliser 16 minutes from time.

And while admitting his side would have to work on their build-up play in the final third of the pitch Levein revealed he was generally satisfied with his players’ overall display

"We had plenty of the ball and loads of possession. I thought we worked hard, and defended well enough so from that point of view we were fairly solid," he said.

"They only had two shots at goal in the entire 90 minutes but in the final third of the park we looked a little bit lacking in sharpness.

"We played a lot of good balls up front that just didn’t stick and we played the wrong pass at times. The crossing also wasn’t as good as I would have liked but that is why we are here, this is pre-season and this is the time to work on these things.

"The whole idea of pre-season is to sharpen things up and get back to match sharpness as quickly as possible and games like this one will help us.

"You couldn’t fault the players for effort and work-rate, however, and we knew beforehand that coming away from home against a side that has just been promoted would give us a good test and so it proved. These are just the kind of games we need at the moment."

The Jambos fielded a more or less full-strength side with only Mark de Vries (hamstring) and Craig Gordon, who was seated among the visiting support with a thigh injury, missing the game.

It was the visitors who were first to give their travelling support something to shout about after ten minutes when Kevin McKenna, playing up front alongside Dennis Wyness, sent Phil Stamp racing through on goal. The stocky midfielder’s first touch took him slightly wide of the target, however, and with several players well placed in the middle he chose to go it alone blazing a shot into the side netting from 14 yards.

The torrential downpour, better suited to the middle of winter than mid-July, was hampering both teams attempts to play football with a number of players struggling to keep their feet.

Time and again play broke down as passes were overhit as the ball skidded across the surface an d it took until just 14 minutes before the interval for another good opportunity to be carved out. And when it was created it fell to the clinical Coyle, who made no mistake in firing his side into the lead.

The former Dundee United striker, may be in the twilight of his career but he showed that he can still be a handful for even the most experienced of defences as he was played in at the edge of the area by Stephen McKeown before turning sharply and firing an unstoppable effort beyond Heatrs keeper Tepi Moilanen.

The Jambos had enjoyed the bulk of play until that point yet had never looked like threatening Mark McGeown in the Airdrie goal. However, that changed three minutes after the opening goal when the stopper was forced into his first save of the afternoon from a 30-yard Paul Hartley free-kick that was curled round the wall but straight into his arms.

Going a goal behind seemed to spur the Capital club into action and six minutes from the break, Kevin McKenna, who had enjoyed little success against a well marshalled Airdrie rearguard, flashed a header narrowly wide from a pinpoint Robbie Neilson cross.

And the Canadian was presented with an even better opportunity three minutes into the second half when another Neilson cross fell to him eight yards out with only the goalkeeper to beat but as McGeown advanced to meet him he totally missed his kick and the ball flew harmlessly across the face of goal.

With an hour on the clock, Hearts almost got themselves back on level terms when a Hartley corner was powerfully met by the head of Andy Webster but just as the Scotland internationalist thought he had scored, the impressive Jerome Vareille popped up on the line to boot his effort clear.

With time beginning to run out for the Tynecastle men Levein brought on Weir and new signing Ramon Pereira for Neil MacFarlane and Wyness and within three minutes the switch paid off.

Weir, who has developed something of a reputation as a super-sub, was sent racing through on goal after a flick on from McKenna and with only his second touch he coolly slid the ball beyond McGeown from ten yards to give his side a deserved equaliser.

Despite pressing for a winner in the closing minutes, Hearts failed to create any further opportunities in front of goal and with Premiership outfit Fulham the visitors to Gorgie on Saturday they will have to rediscover their eye for goal if they are to maintain their unbeaten pre-season record.

Taken from the Scotsman