Hamill sets standard as Hearts show more for less

STUART BATHGATE AT DENS PARK

Dundee 0
Hearts 1 Pressley (84 pen)
Referee: C Thomson. Attendance: 7,770
THE budget goes down, the quality of play goes up. You would accuse Craig Levein of indulging in conjuring tricks, only this is reality he is dealing with.

When Hearts parted company with Scott Severin and Andy Kirk, among others, at the end of last season, it appeared reasonable to presume that, forced to field more rookies, they would be dragged back into the chasing pack this time round. Instead, by signing Jamie McAllister, Michael Stewart and Ramon Pereira, Levein has managed to strengthen the squad and make it more balanced, while still reducing the wage bill. That much was evident within minutes of this match kicking off, as Hearts played with a maturity and patience which simply ground Dundee down. The Edinburgh side required all but six minutes of the game to convert their supremacy into a goal, but given the number of chances they created the victory was in no way fortunate.

What made this opening-day performance all the more impressive is that Levein is currently far from having his full squad available. Mark de Vries and Kevin McKenna were out, McAllister and Stewart, being short of match fitness, were on the bench, and others who began the match, notably Phil Stamp, were also short of optimal condition. If and when Levein does have all his playing resources at his disposal and in peak condition, Hearts will have a very formidable look about them indeed.

The other encouraging factor, not just from this game but from the past couple of years too, is that Levein's policy is far more than signing a few class players then letting them do their stuff. He is also becoming increasingly adept at taking spear-carriers and turning them into lead actors.

Last season it was Paul Hartley who became more and more central to the team as the months passed. This term it could be Joe Hamill.

Signed from St Johnstone, Hartley was encouraged to increase his work rate and involve himself more. He did so, as a result his self-belief increased, and that had a positive effect on his form.

In the case of Hamill, work rate has not been the issue, as he has always been willing to soldier up and down either flank as required. But he has lacked confidence: a slight figure, he is not the kind who naturally shouts at colleagues, and so has had a tendency to drift out of games.

On Saturday, he stayed involved to the last, delivering the through ball to Pereira which produced the penalty when Derek Soutar in the home goal clipped the striker's legs as he bore down on goal. Steven Pressley, who had missed two spot-kicks in pre-season matches, made no mistake this time. "He did say he'd score when it mattered," Levein commented.

The manager is accustomed to seeing his captain deliver when it counts, but has had to work harder to get Hamill to produce the goods. "That was the best Joe has played, so hopefully he'll get confidence from that," he added.

Hamill knows he must assert himself more, and is also aware that there is no time like the present to do so. "The manager always says he has confidence in me and I just need to believe in myself more," he said.

"This is my last year so I need to do something to get another contract. I just need to concentrate really hard."

If anything, Hamill may be too dutiful, too well behaved. He shies away from the customary social life of the footballer, having an example close to home of its deleterious effects.

"I've never gone out. From what I've heard my dad could have made it as a player if he'd bucked up his ideas. I never saw him play but that's what people have told me. Hopefully I can learn from that."

What Hearts as a whole will need to learn is that in sterner tests they cannot afford to pass up so many chances. Pereira, having both strength and speed, offers them something different up front, but he should have settled the issue for his new team long before he won the penalty - most obviously after quarter of an hour when he drove a chip from Hamill off a post. But Pereira and his team-mates will sharpen up over the coming weeks, and it would be churlish to be too critical of such a commanding beginning to the new SPL campaign.

For Dundee, by contrast, this was an inauspicious start. They took solace from staying in the game so long, and Jim Duffy reckoned they might have merited a point, but in reality they offered very little.

Brent Sancho was close to impeccable in central defence, and Steve Lovell and John Sutton worked hard up front, but in general Duffy's side showed little of the relish usually associated with a team playing their first home game of the season. Their brightest moment came 20 seconds into the second half, when Neil Jablonski's volley from a Lovell cross forced Craig Gordon into a decent save, but otherwise the match was about damage limitation for Dundee.

The season could be too, though understandably the manager was looking on the bright side. "In the first half Hearts were definitely the better team and we rode our luck," Duffy said. "But in the second half the game was more of a stalemate and looked like a nil-nil.

"Hearts' defence was outstanding and you've got to give them credit for that. They've got Pressley and Andy Webster who play for Scotland, and Alan Maybury is an international too. You can't buy experience like that."

Well, you can if you've got the money. Dundee don't.

Taken from the Scotsman