EASTON IS SO SORRY FOR HIT AND MISS ACT

Mar 20 2005

HEARTS ...................3 LIVINGSTON ..........1

Euan Mclean At Tynecastle

RED-FACED Craig Easton last night said sorry to his Livi team-mates for the shocking miss that turned the game for Hearts.

The gutted midfileder botched a golden chance with the goal at his mercy when the game was locked on a knife-edge at 1-1 after 65 minutes.

Hearts surged up the park to edge ahead through Mark Burchill and added a killer third moments later thanks to Robbie Neilson.

Afterwards Easton held his hands up for costing Livi the chance to ease further ahead of old club Dundee United in the relegation dogfight.

He groaned: 'That was probably one of the easiest chances of my career and if I had stuck it away the game would have been different.

'Nine times out of 10 I'd have scored but it came off the wrong side of my foot and I was looking for the linesman's flag, hoping he'd get me off the hook!

'It was one of those when you just had to get a good connection and mine couldn't have been worse. If I had scored we would have won the game because we had most of the possession up until then.

'Now I'm more determined to get into the box so I can make up for that miss with a few goals.'

Easton's howler was one of the misses of the season.

Colin McMenamin couldn't have done more and dodged past Andy Webster before laying it on a plate with a low cutback.

But from six yards Easton managed to get the ball stuck under his foot as his sclaffed effort went begging.

His misery deepened as Hearts raced clear and substitute Marius Kizys headed into the path of Burchill who finished well from 12 yards.

Livi were floored in 68 minutes when Lee Miller's free-kick was beaten away by Roddy McKenzie to spark a frantic goalmouth scramble that finished with Neilson sweeping home from close range.

There was no way back from that sickening flurry but boss Richard Gough refused to make Easton the scapegoat and had a go at referee Kenny Clark instead.

Gough said: 'Craig has apologised in the dressing room but I'm happy he's getting into scoring positions.

'That's three times we've played Hearts and dominated but you can't legislate for certain things.

'I can't say too much or I'll get into trouble but I don't think we were beaten by Hearts.

'A few rough decisions have gone against Hearts recently - all we want is a fair crack.'

Livi were raging at the free-kick that led to Hearts first goal as Eric Deloumeaux appeared to push Miller on the edge of their box.

But it DID look a foul and Miller dusted himself down to crack home a superb free-kick. It mixed precision and power perfectly, bending low around the wall and neatly inside McKenzie's left post.

The hitman has been superb since arriving from Bristol City in January and his seventh goal for Hearts underlined why John Robertson MUST keep him when his loan expires at the end of the season.

Miller almost got on the scoresheet again with a fierce drive that was brilliantly tipped wide by McKenzie.

From the corner Webster came within a whisker of reaching David Cesnauskis' tantalising delivery.

Hearts were in complete control and had another chance to extend their lead when Burchill flicked the ball up to buy himself space from Deloumeaux in the box.

His first-time volley looked netbound until McKenzie flew to his right for a sensational stop.

The Jambos lived to regret those misses when Livi levelled with their first shot on goal on the stroke of half-time.

Burton O'Brien's pass sent Jason Dair motoring down the right.

Dair cut inside full back Lee Wallace to get a sight of goal but it was going to take a mighty strike to get past keeper Craig Gordon from a difficult angle.

The Livi star belted it but Gordon will be disappointed that it screamed across him and into the net.

Going up the tunnel on level terms was an escape act Houdini would have been proud of and Gough knew it, judging by his double substitution.

Front pair Robert Snodgrass and Ferenc Horvath hadn't threatened so the Almondvale chief hooked them and threw on James McPake and McMenamin.

Yet for all their pressure they only created one clear cut chance and Easton's shocking failure to take it sparked their demise.

In the midst of the frantic spell that followed Livi's Gabor Vincze picked up a booking for persistent fouling.

Watching the chaos unfold in front of him proved too much for Livi sub Oscar Rubio on the bench.

The big man copped a booking for apparently shouting something at the linesman. Burchill followed him into the book late on for diving.

Both sides made changes with Derek Lilley ending Dair's impressive shift and Michael Stewart and Graeme Weir coming on for Macfarlane and Burchill.

So there were no subs left when Hearts' Jamie McAllister limped off late with a damaged ankle.

Miller had the ball in the net in the dying minutes only to be flagged offside - but by then gutted Gough had suffered enough.

ref watch

KENNY CLARK was too fussy but made the big calls correctly. Spot on with the free-kick that led to the first and was right to chop off Hearts' late strike. Rating 6/10

Taken from the Sunday Mail