HEARTS GO OVER THE TOP

HEARTS clawed their way back from the depths of depression to top the SPL table again.

And if this DOES turn out to be John McGlynn's last game in charge he can step back from the dugout proud of the fact HE put them there.

Against Hibs last week it was as if the team who were so irresistible in the first quarter of the season had finally been consumed by their off-field problems, so badly were they outplayed.

Yet despite MORE turmoil this week McGlynn somehow sent them out the gates like a bullet from a gun yesterday and they had United on toast from the first minute to the last.

Goals from a rejuvenated Paul Hartley, Rudi Skacel and Michal Pospisil were more than enough to bury the sorry Arabs.

But it was the manner of their win that sent the Jambos fans home jubilant, not just the scoreline.

And the message was clear - new boss or not, they're back and back to stay.

McGlynn had made two changes with Calum Elliot in for the suspended Edgaras Jankauskas and Saulius Mikoliunas taking Sammy Camazzola's place in the middle of the park But more significant was the return to real fitness of Hartley.

He'd looked a shadow of himself at Easter Road, trying to come back from niggling hamstring and back problems.

Within four minutes here, though, he was back with a real bang, opening the scoring with the kind of slashing run ahead of his forwards that he's made his own.

Mikoliunas threaded the ball through, Hartley sliced the back three open and clipped his shot past Derek Stillie from 16 yards.

By then the Jambos had already had two efforts on goal - a Steven Pressley header over and Pospisil's shot saved - and they were hounding United in EVERY area of the park.

The pressure they were putting on the ball saw them carve out chances at will.

Elliot forced Stillie into a stop from 25 yards and even full-back Takis Fysaas was getting in on the action, cutting inside and blazing in a right foot strike from 20 yards that stung the Arabs keeper's gloves as he palmed it over.

Stillie will have felt the same pain in 22 minutes when Skacel and Robbie Neilson worked a corner between them on the right.

This ended with the Czech thundering in a left footer that needed two strong hands to parry over. The same strong hands were missing four minutes later, though, as the rampant Jambos doubled their advantage.

Skacel's flighted free-kick into the box had plenty of bodies attacking it but none made contact.

And by the time Stillie launched himself desperately at the ball at his right hand post he could only palm it further into the net.

It was no more than Hearts deserved. Pretty much United's only effort of the half was a poor Lee Miller header from Barry Robson's cross that drifted harmlessly past.

And with The Boys Are Back In Town blaring from the speakers as they made their way down the tunnel, Jambos DJ Scott Wilson obviously knew what to expect.

It didn't get much better for Gordon Chisholm's Arabs after the break.

Robson troubled Craig Gordon five minutes in with a left foot curler that Scotland's No.1 plucked out of the air and held magnificently. No fancy dan TV saves for him, eh?

But Hearts soon reasserted their authority - and did it against the backdrop of the FIRST song of the day for owner Vladimir Romanov.

Until then the Jambos fans had withheld their affection from the Lithuanian, dedicating their emotions far more at my fellow MailSport columnist Andy Walker.

Clearly irked by his analysis of their SPL chances 15,000 of them took the chance to guess what Andy does with his right hand in his leisure time! He's a nice guy, really ...

However, just before the hour mark the supporters finally had to turn their attention back to the pitch when Hartley again provided the inspiration behind their third.

The Scotland midfielder robbed Alan Archibald, burst into the box and laid the sweetest of passes on for Pospisil to roll home It was game over and the United fans weren't arguing as they started streaming for the exits with more than half an hour left.

Ironically they were the ones who missed their team's best chance of the day - although maybe they were grateful.

Robson, one of United's only two decent operators along with Paul Ritchie, nicked in ahead of Pressley in the box and was clipped by the Hearts captain for a penalty.

But Robson faltered badly and battered his spot-kick straight at the keeper. Gordon could only parry it to Robson but worse was to come when the midfielder headed the ball straight back into Gordon's arms.

It wasn't going to be his day, or United's either.

As Robson booted the post you could feel his frustration and anguish vibrate around the stadium along with the Hearts fans' cheers.

But the truth is United were LUCKY not to get a bigger stuffing.

And it could have been worse.

Posipisil's header battered the bar eight minutes from time and he nodded the rebound over.

Elliot and sub Stephen Simmons then had a double effort brilliantly stopped by Stillie.

Still, if you'd offered Hearts back top spot back at 3pm they would have bitten your hand off for it. One more was never going to matter ref watch CRAIG THOMSON had one or two glaring inconsistencies. Yellowed Brellier then let McInnes off for a near-identical tackle. Rating 6/10

Taken from the Sunday Mail