Jankauskas does the job for Hearts

STUART BATHGATE
AT TYNECASTLE

Hearts 1 Janauskas 35
Kilmarnock 0

HEARTS were some way below their best last night but, as they have done on several occasions this season, still had enough to see off determined opponents. A first-half strike from Edgaras Jankauskas was the difference between the teams, making it 12 consecutive league matches without defeat for the Bank of Scotland Premierleague leaders. They will now look forward to Saturday, hoping that the second Edinburgh derby of the season will not prove to be unlucky 13.

The main thing for the stand-in management team was that, no matter the disruptions of the past week, the momentum was maintained. The only downside to the evening was the slight knee injury which forced off Jankauskas, but the Lithuanian striker should be fit for the visit to Easter Road.

The suspension of captain Steven Pressley and the absence through injury of fellow Scotland international Paul Hartley meant that the interim manager John McGlynn would have to make at least two changes but in the event he decided more were required. Christophe Berra was a straight replacement at centre-back for Pressley but the loss of Hartley, the team's principal playmaker, led to a reshuffling of the midfield quartet.

Rudi Skacel was moved into the centre, Deividas Cesnauskis filled the Czech's wide-right berth, Jamie McAllister played wide left, and Julien Brellier retained his anchor role. The reintroduction of Cesnauskis, a rare starter this season, had the brains of conspiracy theorists whirring overtime as speculation continues about the precise disagreements between Vladimir Romanov, the club's majority shareholder, and George Burley, the former manager.

Any notion that the Baltic businessman was now picking the team, however, would have been dispelled when it was realised that the man for whom the Lithuanian was, indirectly, a replacement was Samuel Camazzola - the Brazilian whom Romanov recruited despite Burley's never having seen him play.

It was a fairly subdued home crowd which digested those changes before kick-off, and Steven Naismith came close to really dampening the atmosphere in the opening minute with a drive which goalkeeper Craig Gordon did well to touch behind, then at the other end Graeme Smith was twice called on to save from McAllister. The second effort, direct from a free-kick, rebounded close to Andy Webster, who had a penalty claim rejected after a clash of bodies prevented him reaching the ball. Midway through the half Hearts had a stronger appeal for a spot-kick rejected when the referee failed to see Kris Boyd's tug on the jersey of Michal Pospisil.

The Edinburgh side were looking less composed than normal during the first half hour or so, but nine minutes before half-time Jankauskas settled their nerves with a sweetly-struck shot to open the scoring. Takis Fyssas began the move with a pass down the left to Skacel, who from just inside the Kilmarnock half curled an inch-perfect path into the path of the striker. Jankauskas steadied himself, allowed the ball one bounce, and then slammed it past Graeme Smith for his second league goal of the season.

Hearts playd with greater self-assuredness for the rest of the half, but were a touch fortunate to go in at the interval a goal up after an error by Andy Webster. The Scotland centre-back allowed a hopeful chip to go beyond him into the penalty box, and had the diminutive Naismith been a few inches taller he would surely have done better than glance a header straight into the arms of Gordon.

There was one change at half-time - to the officiating team. The referee, Stuart Dougal, was taken unwell, so was replaced by the fourth official, Stevie O'Reilly. Despite facing into a strengthening wind, Kilmarnock began the second half more brightly. Fifteen minutes in, it was their turn to have a penalty claim denied, when a shot from Danny Invincibile came off Webster's hand. McGlynn brought Camazzola on for Cesnauskis in an attempt to shore up the home side's right flank, but the home team had lost much of their shape - as indeed had the match as a whole.

To their credit, Kilmarnock remained combative, showing no sign of being overawed, but had they shown some guile to go with their grit the game would have been a more pleasing contest. With just more than quarter of an hour to play, Webster volleyed over from a Skacel corner. A second goal at that stage would have killed the game off but Hearts could not find a second touch of class to emulate Skacel's killer pass in the first half. In stoppage time, McAllister should have added a second but slid his shot wide after a Pospisil effort had rebounded to him off Smith.

Hearts: Gordon, Neilson, Webster, Berra, Fyssas, Cesnauskis (Camazzola 75), Brellier, McAllister, Skacel (Wallace 84), Pospisil, Jankauskas (Elliot 80). Subs not used: Banks, Simmons, Mikoliunas, Tall.

Kilmarnock: Smith, Fowler, Wright, Greer, Hay, Invincibile, McDonald, Dodds (Wales 71), Johnston, Boyd (Murray 75), Naismith. Subs not used: Bell, Di Giacomo, Campbell, Jamie Adams, Flannigan.

Taken from the Scotsman