Hartley in trim to see off the Pars

ALEX O’HENLEY
AT TYNECASTLE

HEARTS 3 Wyness 11; Pereira 46; Hartley 55 pen
DUNFERMLINE 0

DUNFERMLINE’S wretched record at Tynecastle continued as Hearts returned to winning ways with an easy 3-0 win played out in front of new Scotland manager, Walter Smith. Smith might have been interested in the performance of Paul Hartley, who should feature in Scotland’s Future team against Germany in midweek, and while Hearts’ top scorer - newly shorn of his beard for the occasion - did himself no harm with a steady game topped off with a second-half penalty, Smith will surely also have left Tynecastle with a favourable impression of young Joe Hamill and Dennis Wyness.

"I’m delighted with the performance," said Hearts head coach John Robertson. "We passed the ball really well, created chances and should probably have scored a few more."

Almost 15 years have elapsed since Dunfermline recorded a win at Tynecastle and a lengthy injury list certainly didn’t augur well as they prepared for this encounter. Greg Shields, Derek Young, Simon Donnelly and Billy Mehmet were all ruled out through a combination of injury and illness forcing manager Davie Hay to make four changes from the side that lost to Motherwell last weekend.

Greg Ross, aged 17, came in at right-back for only his second start of the season, while former Sunderland player Thomas Butler and Arsenal’s on-loan youngster Stephen Bradley were also given a chance to impress in an unfamiliar looking Dunfermline side. Andy Tod dropped back into defence to replace the suspended Aaron Labonte at centre-back with Gary Dempsey returning to the Pars line-up and being handed the unenviable task of taking on the Hearts rearguard on his own.

Hearts were unchanged after their narrow defeat at Ibrox last Sunday, meaning that Robbie Neilson continued to deputise for the suspended Alan Maybury at right-back.

Sensing that nerves might play a part against an experienced Pars side, Hearts pushed forward straight from the kick-off and Wyness tested Derek Stillie within the opening minute. Mark de Vries did well to chest the ball into his path, and the player who has been given a new lease of life by John Robertson fired in a shot headed for the top corner till Stillie tipped over.

It was all Hearts at this stage but five minutes later Dunfermline broke away and almost opened the scoring. Butler switched the ball from left to right and Bradley’s cross picked out the run of Barry Nicholson from midfield, and his glancing header almost dropped into the net with Craig Gordon seemingly beaten.

It was the wake-up call that Hearts needed and they promptly reasserted their dominance. After than it seemed only a matter of time before the home side opened their account, and the first goal duly arrived. The chance seemed to have gone after Dunfermline’s defence cleared the ball out left, but Hamill did ever so well to get past Ross and his teasing cross was gratefully headed in by Wyness at the back post.

"If we play the ball on the ground Dennis has a great touch and can score goals for us," added Robertson." He can be an important player for this club and the fans are now beginning to warm to him. Joe Hamill was another one who was fantastic today for us as well and he's one for the future."

Hamill was particularly influential at this stage, floating from one side of the park and creating a series of openings for his attackers with an array of feints and shimmies that took him past opponents with relative ease. Just after the half-hour mark he received a clearance on the edge of the box and had the audacity to chip the ball into De Vries who was standing unmarked on the penalty spot. The big Dutchman wheeled and made a complete hash of it firing high over the bar, but the near side assistant saved his blushes by flagging for offside.

For all their dominance Hearts were being frustrated in their attempts to double their lead and Andy Webster was denied twice in quick succession in the 37th minute. From two corners, the Scotland defender just failed to get on the end of the first delivery and when Hamill found him again with the second ball Webster was denied by Stillie who blocked his shot.

Dunfermline made a change at the interval with Noel Hunt replacing Bradley as they opted for a more adventurous 4-4-2 formation, but it made little difference as Hearts promptly doubled their lead within a minute of the re-start. Ramón Pereira looked to have squandered the opportunity as he slalomed his way across the face of the box before losing possession, but the Spaniard redeemed himself moments later when he got on the end of De Vries’s clever through ball, and from an acute angle he lashed a ferocious shot that exploded into the roof of the net.

Ten minutes later the game was effectively over as a contest as Hearts went further ahead, this time from the penalty spot. De Vries thought he had won the award as he burst into the box between two defenders, but the decision was only delayed by a fraction of a second as young Ross was tempted into a late challenge on Wyness who had picked up the loose ball. Paul Hartley stepped up and coolly converted the spot-kick for his ninth goal of the season.

With just under half an hour remaining Hamill came off to a standing ovation to be replaced by Phil Stamp. The former Middlesborough player has been plagued by a calf injury this season and he pulled up with an ankle injury minutes before the final whistle and had to be stretchered off.

By then Hearts had used all their substitutes, but even with ten men they were able to hold out comfortably and prolong Dunfermline’s unenviable record which now stands at 19 matches without a win at Tynecastle.

"Our injury problems caught up with us today," admitted Dunfermline manager Davie Hay. "But we don’t have any excuses. We simply didn’t pose enough of a threat."

Taken from the Scotsman