Derby rout underlines Hearts' SPL intentions

ALAN PATTULLO
AT TYNECASTLE

Hearts 4
Skacel (13), Hartley (58 pen), Simmons (71), Mikoliunas (83)

Hibernian 0

Referee: S Dougal. Attendance: 16,459

WHILE the Vladimir Romanov revolution might have begun some months ago, there was a feeling of an official stamp having been planted across it on a fiery afternoon at Tynecastle. The promised pyrotechnics materialised in the centre-circle prior to kick-off and were an apt scene-setter for a match which proved too much even for the normally mild-mannered Tony Mowbray, sent to the stand before half-time after a prolonged argument with the referee, Stuart Dougal.

It was an early indication that the afternoon was going awry for Hibs, though not the first. Gary Caldwell, the Easter Road centre half, had already departed the rapidly fraying scene with the alarming complaint of a punctured lung. And even before this worrying moment, Rudi Skacel had put Hearts on the way to equalling the emphatic win they recorded here three years ago, when Mark De Vries' four-goal burst framed a 5-1 derby win|.

Unlike that afternoon in Gorgie, this was no one-man show. Four goals, four different scorers, the first strike coming early in the game and the last with four minutes remaining. It reflected Hearts' almost total domination of a match which suggested that the absence of European football at Tynecastle this year will be off-set very nicely by George Burley's gathering of continental stars.

If you can't take the club into Europe, bring Europe to the club seems to his thinking. And who can argue, although Hearts did field another healthy quota of seven Scots in a starting 11 later supplemented by two more home-grown substitutes. Skacel enjoyed a fruitful derby debut, as did the hard-working Julien Brellier in centre midfield. Edgarus Jankauskas failed a pre-match fitness test, while yet another new signing, Roman Bednar, was a peripheral figure, something which suggested Hearts were not even firing on all cylinders. It's an ominous thought, one confirmed later by Burley, who revealed his foreign signings are some way from being fully match fit. "There is a lot of work still to be done," he said.

There is a school of thought which promotes the theory that the SPL needs a strong Edinburgh challenger. A few weeks ago, when Hearts barely had enough players to field a team, few would have expected it to arrive from the west end of a city last night shaking with the significance of this result.

Paul Hartley began the second half rout with a penalty on the hour mark, and subsequent strikes from substitute Stephen Simmons and Saulius Mikoliunas took an elated Hearts to the top of the Premier League.

It wasn't difficult to see what had attracted Romanov to the club, even before Skacel had latched on to a through ball from Hartley in the 11th minute to open the scoring. The Lithuanian sat in the main stand, next to his son Roman, and was clearly affected by the pre-match atmosphere. He waved his scarf at the right moments during the Hearts Song, and saluted the crowd pre and post match. Mind you, he couldn't help but become involved. Not when his executive colleagues next to him were doing everything bar preparing a pedestal to demonstrate their commitment to the cause.

Chairman George Foulkes actually conducted the community singing while Phil Anderton, Romanov's chief executive, was the tyke responsible for nearly burning the place down with his pre-match rockets. Rare indeed for a boardroom to house such dynamism, and the fans are reacting with a renewed enthusiasm.

Hearts almost blew Hibs away in the opening half, but with only one goal to show for their efforts, some home supporters might have grown dis-spirited during an opening to the second half where Hibs finally made headway. With Mowbray sitting in the stand, his team at last found some cohesion, and Kevin Thomson almost succeeded in levelling the scores with an adept chip that ran the wrong side of Craig Gordon's post. A minute or so later Guillaume Beuzelin should have done better when granted a free header at the far post after a fine cross from David Murphy.

In the hazy Gorgie sunshine, the increased resistance from Hibs proved a mirage, with Hartley, the game's pre-eminent performer, wrapping up the points with a decisive penalty finish after Stephen Glass had been judged to have handled in the box.

Thereafter it became a Romanov love-in, with the crowds acknowledging his part in this sudden burst of optimism at Tynecastle. It is early yet, but six points from two tough opening games suggests this is a revolution of some substance, with Skacel supplying his team with a dream start in just 11 minutes. The Czech midfielder was then booked for over-celebrating, though this seemed harsh. Half way through peeling his shirt from his back, he thought better of it, and simply danced a jig instead. The yellow card arrived nevertheless, but it was the only blot on the day for a Hearts side whipped into a fine performance by the ever-excellent Hartley.

The Scotland international plays the game with a smile on his face, and the lack of nerves shows in his busy displays. He laps up the opprobrium of the opposition fans, and at one stage could be spotted ragging with the Hibs supporters in the far corner prior to taking a corner. It seemed good-natured enough stuff, even though he was the man chiefly responsible for their worst derby defeat in three seasons. His direct involvement stopped with the precise conversion of the 60th minute penalty, but he remained the pivotal figure. Simmons allowed the last 12 minutes to slip by in near-carnival fashion, steering a pass from Lee Wallace past the Hibs goalkeeper Zbigniew Malkowski. Mikoliunas gave Romanov, his compatriot, a further thrill, lashing in the fourth and last goal from all of 25 yards, and with just four minutes still to play. For the Hearts fans at least, they passed by in a dream.

Hearts: Gordon; Neilson, Webster, Pressley, McAllister; Mikoliunas, Hartley, Bednar (MacFarlane 74), Skacel; Brellier (Wallace 69), Elliot (Simmons 52). Subs not used: MacDonald, Cesnauskis, Berra, Tierney. Booked: Skacel, Bednar.

Hibernian: Malkowski; Whittaker, Smith, Caldwell (Hogg 27), Murphy; Beuzelin, Stewart, Thomson, Glass (Riordan 63); O'Connor, Konte (Sproule 63). Subs not used: Simon Brown, Morrow, Murray, Shields.

Taken from the Scotsman