McGLYNN DEMANDS UNITY DESPITE DEFEAT

Hearts interim manager John McGlynn called for unity at Tynecastle after the Bank of Scotland Premier League leaders lost their 12-game unbeaten run to rivals Hibernian at Easter Road.

Managerless Hearts, still seeking a replacement for the departed George Burley, went down 2-0 to late strikes by Guillaume Beuzelin and Garry O'Connor after Jambos striker Edgaras Jankauskas had been sent off for two yellow card offences.

Hearts' lead over Celtic at the top of the table remains at three points although the momentum now seems to have passed to the Glasgow giants.

McGlynn said: "It's up to the board when they bring a new manager in but what we have to do is stay strong.

"This result was a kick in the teeth, a blip and it's about how we respond to it.

"It's very difficult not to get beat over the course of 38 games but we must all stick together, regroup and get organised for next week.

"If someone comes in during that time then so be it."

McGlynn admitted his disappointment at Lithuanian striker Jankauskas whose sending off on 62 minutes gave Hibs a one-man advantage for half an hour.

Booked in the first half for persistent fouling, Jankauskas petulantly pushed Hibs midfielder Scott Brown to the ground following a challenge, leaving referee John Underhill no option but to send him packing.

McGlynn said: "He was on a yellow card previously, he's an experienced player and I think he should have known better than to get involved even though it was soft.

"At 0-0 and with 11 players on the park I felt that we were at least capable of keeping a clean sheet.

"Going down to 10 men made it more difficult but I still feel we could have done that and that's possibly the best result we were going to get.

"But we allowed them to get in behind us for the first goal and then Garry O'Connor was left on his own for a second."

Hibs now move to within four points of leaders Hearts but, despite their delight at ending his city rivals' unbeaten run, manager Tony Mowbray reiterated his assertion that the Easter Road men are still not serious title contenders.

He said: "It was an enjoyable afternoon. Derbies are all about supporters and I'm delighted we sent the Hibs fans home happy.

"But we're only 13 games in and as I said the other day, statistics show that injuries and suspensions will come.

"We've got Livingston away next week and we know that will be a tough game.

"We will drop points along the way and lose to teams that we hope we could beat.

"The Old Firm tend to win week in, week out and over 38 games they drift lots and lots of points in front of you.

"Last season we finished 33 points behind the Old Firm, that's too big a gap to bridge.

"Hearts could potentially bridge it because of the investment they have in their squad but we will keep plodding away and picking up points where we can and we'll see where we are in February or March."

Beuzelin insists the victory was sweet revenge for the 4-0 drubbing by Hearts earlier in the season and the Frenchman claims the Easter Road men can sustain their form all the way to the end of the season.

He said: "It's revenge for the first derby earlier in the season which was a bad result for Hearts.

"The fans I spoke to during the week asked me to win the game and we did. It was fantastic to score and there was a great atmosphere after that.

"We have closed the gap to four points now and it is possible to keep it going until the end of the season.

"Rangers also drew 1-1 which was good for us and it makes the Championship this season very interesting."

Taken from sportinglife.com