LITHUMANIA

Feb 17 2005

Hearts fans have new heroes of the east as they blow Killie away Kilmarnock 1 Hearts 3

By David Mccarthy

HERE'S the bad news for Hearts fans - you're going to be out a fortune on new strips for your kids sometime soon.

They'll be wanting the names of your Lithuanian heroes on them, you see, and when they're called Saulius Mikoliunas and Deividas Cesnauskis, that won't come cheap.

But you know what, having these two around might just be worth it because this flair pair from eastern Europe may well motor the Jambos to their first trophy since the same tournament was won seven years ago.

They sorted out Kilmarnock big style at Rugby Park last night to book a place in the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup and a home tie against Livingston isn't going to have anyone in maroon breaking out in a sweat.

Cesnauskis, on his debut, even marked Lithuanian independence day - of course, you all knew it was - - with the third goal in the57th minute.

But if it was independence day in Kaunas, it was incompetence night for Kilmarnock. They were hit by injury and it showed as they were outplayed by their visitors who were home and dry thanks to early strikes from Lee Wallace and Lee Miller.

Not even a Kris Boyd penalty with the last kick of the game could camouflage the fact his team was well beaten bya superior outfit.

If familiarity breeds contempt, these two sets of players must have been casting some pretty disparaging glances at each other as they waited to emerge from the tunnel last night.

This, after all, was their sixth meeting of the season and their third in the past 10 days. Killie had a raft of injuries to cope with and some players, coached before kick-off by Rangers-bound Ian Durrant for the last time, were having to play at less than full fitness.

However, they would still have the memory of Jim Jefferies' fury in the wake of the 3-0 capitulation in the capital on Saturday in their minds and they knew that a repeat of that sterile performance would not be acceptable.

Unfortunately for Killie fans, that's what they got in the first 45 minutes particularly.

Certainly the way Boyd crashed into Robbie Nielson in the first 15 seconds was an indication the home side were up for it.

How John Rowbotham missed it is difficult to fathom and it would have done nothing to ease Robbo's relationship with the ref.

The Hearts boss should have been celebrating the opener in the second minute, though, when the Lithuanian duo carved Killie open on their right and when the ball was cut back for Stephen Simmons he should have done far better than shoot wide of Alan Combe's left-hand post.

The goal was delayed by only two minutes and when it came it was an absolute cracker from young left-back Wallace.

The 17-year-old, who made his debut in the first game, collected the ball on the halfway line and just ran and ran past tackles before cutting inside and hammering a shot high past the keeper from 14 yards.

It was a stunning effort but Jefferies would have been furious that the kid wasn't stopped in his tracks long before he could pull the trigger.

Steven Pressley was booked in the eighth minute for almost strangling Steven Naismith as they went for a high ball. It was quite apt, though, because Hearts had Killie by the throat at this stage.

In the 12th minute they went further ahead and Combe would have to question himself here - as should the rest of his team-mates.

A Paul Hartley free-kick into the area skimmed off Simon Ford's head straight to Miller, about 12 yards out and although the striker connected powerfully with his forehead, the keeper should have done more than watch it fly past him into the net.

Boyd hit the side-netting in a rare moment of incision by Killie then caught Nielson late again and this time went into the book.

Hearts were passing and moving sweetly on the slick surface with Cesnauskis looking the part on the right and Miller showing himself again to be one of the most astute transfer-window moves anyone in Scotland made.

Killie, though, were woeful and Jefferies was shouting himself even hoarser than he normally is on the touchline. It was to no avail. His team hadn't turned up again for the second time in four days.

Before the break, Simmons was added to the list of cautions for scything Boyd from behind.

Gary McDonald soon joined him for mouthing. He could have no complaints and neither could Killie about going in two down.

Hearts started where they left off and within a minute of the restart Cesnauskis had tested Combe with a shot that the keeper blocked.

The ball broke back to the Lithuanian, whose low cross was just out of Mikoliunas' reach.

The pair combined again in the 57th minute and this time there was no way back for the home side.

Mikoliunas was the provider with a run to the byeline and his cutback was gleefully swept high into the net by Cesnauskis from eight yards.

It really was a top show from Hearts and while the eastern Europeans were providing much of the flair, there was much to admire about the Scottish element in maroon as well.

Simmons was anchoring the midfield superbly, allowing Hartley to support the front two of Miller and Wyness, who were pulling the home defence all over the place.

Killie desperately needed a break and should have got it on the hour mark when Danny Invincibile's header seemed to strike Simmons on the arm inside the box. The crowd roared for a spot-kick but Rowbotham ignored them.

The fourth official called Rowbotham's attention to something Robertson was doing in the dugout but by this stage he could only have been getting pulled up for puffing a cigar in a no-smoking zone.

Certainly it could have been because his team was coasting.

Killie introduced Stevie Murray for Naismith but it was asking a lot for one man to change the course of the contest.

But at least the wee man injected some urgency into Kilmarnock and his pass to Garry Hay gave the left-back time to deliver a wicked cross that caused Pressley to break sweat for the first time.

The skipper's back header could have gone anywhere but luckily for Hearts it flew out for a corner that Killie were unable to do anything with.

With 15 minutes left, Wyness departed to give Mark Burchill a run.He tried to make the most of it with a twisting foray forward and shot that flew just wide.

But it didn't really matter. Hearts were already in the quarter-finals.

All that remained was for Killie to get a consolation in injury time when Allan Johnston was tripped in the box by Wallace.

Boyd slotted home with the final kick of a one-sided contest.

KILMARNOCK - Combe 5, Ford 5, Lilley 6, Fontaine 5, Hay 5, Leven 5, MacDonald 6, Naismith 5 (Murray 65, 3), Johnston 6, Invincibile 5, Boyd 5. Subs not used: Bell, Fowler, Dargo, Dodds.

HEARTS - Gordon 6, Neilson 6, Pressley 7, Webster 7, Wallace 8, Mikoliunas 9, Hartley 8, Simmons 7 (MacFarlane 81, 2), Cesnauskis 8, Miller 7 (Thorarinsson 84, 2), Wyness 6 (Burchill 75, 3). Subs not used: Moilanen, Berra.

Referee - J Rowbotham.

Taken from the Daily Record