ROMAN LEGION ON THE MARCH

Aug 8 2005

Capital foes Hibs the victims as Vlad's revolution gathers pace Hearts 4 Hibs 0

By Gary Ralston

THE Roman Empire seized control of Edinburgh yesterday and laid down their marker for an assault onthe twin fortresses of the west. It wasn't only bragging rights that returned to Gorgie with this derby humiliation by Hearts over Hibs.

The manner of the win was so emphatic, the axis of power in the capital will now surely switch back to Tynecastle from Easter Road, where it has deservedly sat since the end of last season.

The Gorgie Burley boys won with ease and four goals could have easily been five or six as Jambo fans taunted their rivals with cries of One Season Wonders.

Hearts sit top of the SPL this morning, two goals better off than Rangers, and while the Old Firm fans will not be quaking in their boots - yet - big things are happening in this maroon corner of Scottish football.

Vladimir Romanov, perched in the front row of the directors' box, sat like Caesar in the Coliseum giving the thumbs-up to the home fans who chanted his name, while the squad he has bankrolled so lavishly mauled their rivals down below Hibs fans poured out as soon as Saulius Mikoliunas fired in his side's fourth seven minutes from time and the greatest wonder was that so many had remained until that late stage.

Hearts supporters lapped it up as their side swaggered in the sun in the closing stages, enjoying their biggest derby success since trouncing Hibs 5-1 at the same venue three years ago.

The Jambos are on the up under Romanov and George Burley, with quality additions to add to an already experienced spine of players such as Craig Gordon, Steven Pressley, Andy Webster and Paul Hartley.

The Hibs board must also recognise that without significant investment Mowbray, who brought in just two players in the summer, will do well just to keep his side challenging for Europe year after year.

Mowbray's Musketeers developed a one for all siege mentality in the run-up to the game in protest at headlines they felt were unjustified when Steven Fletcher was accidentally caught up in a bar-room rammy last weekend.

They were bystanders again, this time powerless to prevent Hearts dominating every inch of the pitch, particularly in midfield where Hartley ran the game from first kick to last.

However, they were hardly innocent onlookers this time as they failed to match the enthusiasm and energy of a Hearts team that looked hungrier for the win.

Sure, Hibs can point to the absence from their starting line-up of talisman Derek Riordan, forced on to the bench after picking up a knock in training, while influential skipper Gary Caldwell went off with a broken rib after only 27 minutes.

But excuses are folly, with Hearts also minus influential frontman Edgaras Jankauskas through injury.

The extent to which Hibs were suffering became clear a minute before the break when Mowbray was sent to the stand by ref Stuart Dougal for appearing to argue long and hard about the fouling of Roman Bednar. He surely sensed the game was running away from his side then - even if Hearts were, surprisingly, only one goal to the good.

It had arrived as early as the 13th minute when Robbie Neilson fed Hartley and he drove into a hole between the Hibs midfield and defence.

He split the Hibees rearguard with a pass for Bednar and although his effort was blocked by the legs of keeper Zibby Malkowski, Rudi Skacel followed up to bundle a shot over the line despite the efforts of Gary Smith.

Even that early it was all Hearts deserved for a game that was soon matching the pre-game pyrotechnics,for Jambos at least, Phil Anderton had promised and delivered. Both sides ran out to flames shooting 30 feet into the air around the centre circle and fireworks whizzing high into the Gorgie skies.

In the directors' box, Romanov was whirling his Jambos scarf around his head as chairman George Foulkes conducted the fans in a rousing rendition of Hearts, Hearts, Glorious Hearts.

Hibs fans, not to be outdone, threw beach balls and lilos on to the pitch, a reference to the Euro jaunts they hope to be making in the months ahead as their arch rivals stay at home. It was the build-up the game deserved, played out to a soundtrack of Two Tribes and This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us.

There were sparks on the park as well as off it, with five bookings to go with Mowbray's dismissal in a match in which Hibs rarely looked like scoring, bar a 15-minute spell after the interval.

Then, Kevin Thomson went close with a lob and Guillaume Beuzelin should have done better with a free header at the back post that was to cost his side dear.

In 57 minutes, Hearts added a second when Stephen Glass handled a long pass from Jamie McAllister under pressure from Hartley in the box and the Scotland star, watched by Walter Smith, stepped up to slot the spot-kick past Malkowski.

It was the second goal Hearts needed to underline a superiority that was not matched by the goals they so deserved.

The Hibs midfield were anonymous against Hartley and Skacel in particular, with debut star Julien Brellier also a standout in a performance of energy the visitors failed to match.

Brellier went close with a shot over the bar from 18 yards, a Pressley effort was hooked off the line by Smith and Steven Whittaker was also alert to knock away a Webster effort. Hibs tried to make amends midway through the second half when they threw on Riordan and Ivan Sproule but it only left more space for the Jambos to exploit.

Mind you,Hibs were architects of their own downfall in70minutes when Beuzelin allowed a tame pass from sub Lee Wallace to drop through his legs and Stephen Simmons was on to it in a flash, placing a shot past the helpless Malkowski from 10 yards.

Then Mikoliunas stepped up with seven minutes remaining, seizing on to a short corner and lashing a left-foot shot in at the keeper's left post.

Down at trackside, Burley and his backroom team high-fived as players on the Hibs bench sunk deeper into the dugout.

Up in the directors' box, the smile was spreading wider across the face of Romanov.

His revolution, even this early, is gathering exciting momentum MAN OF THE MATCH Paul Hartley (Hearts

Taken from the Daily Record