Rix finds quick fix as Hearts turn on style

HEARTS turned in as complete a performance as they have managed all season yesterday, just when they needed it most. The first-half sending-off of Falkirk's Stephen O'Donnell made the home team's task somewhat easier, but this was nonetheless a convincing return to the sort of fluent performance they enjoyed under George Burley.

Significantly, it was also the first time since Graham Rix arrived as first-team coach that the erstwhile league leaders have played with such panache. His previous five games in charge had produced only one victory, an unconvincing win over Livingston, and with leaders Celtic to visit Tynecastle on New Year's Day, the pressure was on to find the right blend and reacquire the right attitude.

"I'm absolutely delighted," said the coach. "Couldn't have asked for more. It was important we had a win - but with the win and the performance you could see the self-belief coming back."

Rix had known that something had to be shaken up after his team's pallid display in their last match, the 1-0 defeat at Ibrox, but circumstances confined him to just a single change. That saw Takis Fyssas return from a trip to Greece to be present at the birth of his child, while Roman Bednar's hopes of getting at least a place on the bench were dashed by a recurrence of a hamstring injury.

Hearts got off to the quick start they had planned, and had two decent scoring opportunities in the opening few minutes. First, Falkirk goalkeeper Matt Glennon had to look sharp to get a hand to an effort from Calum Elliot. Then Rudi Skacel was through on Glennon after a slack header back by Craig Ireland, but the Czech slipped in the act of attempting to shoot and the chance was gone.

Falkirk were by no means willing to sit back and watch Hearts play, as was shown by early bookings for O'Donnell, after a dangerous sliding tackle on Steven Pressley, and Vitor Lima, for a foul on Julien Brellier. Some threatening incursions by Russell Latapy showed the more creative aspect of the visitors' play, but Hearts showed no sign of letting up in pursuit of their first goal in three matches, and with 20 minutes gone they got their reward.

Skacel began the move with a shot from the left of the box. Glennon failed to hold the ball as Edgaras Jankauskas challenged, and the ball broke back to Hartley, who sidefooted home from ten yards out.

Within five minutes, Falkirk suffered another two blows, losing O'Donnell for a second bookable offence after a clash with Elliot, then conceding a second goal. Picking up possession close to the spot where he had set the opening goal in motion, Skacel took his usual one steadying touch, then blasted the ball past Glennon for his 14th goal of the season.

Falkirk could now do little but chase the game, and when they did they left themselves outnumbered in defence. With half-time looming they were made to pay for their adventure when Robbie Neilson broke up an attack by clearing upfield to Deividas Cesnauskis. The Lithuanian crossed low into the box, and when Andy Lawrie fluffed his clearance Elliot poked home his first goal for the club from three or four yards out.

With the points effectively secured, the second half was less dynamic, though Darryl Duffy came close to bringing it to life around the hour mark. As Andy Webster lay on the ground appealing in vain for a foul, Duffy ran on to a through ball and clipped it beyond the onrushing Craig Gordon, and also the post.

Falkirk manager John Hughes employed all three substitutes in the second half in an attempt to make a difference, but the only notable contribution from any was the late challenge on Fyssas which earned Stephen McBreen a booking. Rix, conversely, enjoyed more success with his changes: bringing on Neil MacFarlane for Brellier only shored up the midfield, but the introduction of Michal Pospisil for Jankauskas took just four minutes to make a material difference, as the striker rose unchallenged in the box to head in a cross from Neilson.

Jamie McAllister then came on for Hartley, much to the latter's displeasure, but the playmaker's work was done. Elliot's, however, was not, and just as stoppage time started the teenage striker latched on to a loose ball and swatted it nonchalantly into the net.

It had been a frustrating afternoon for Hughes, who later chose to vent his spleen on the referee, beginning with the dismissal of O'Donnell. "The first one was a booking, but I don't think the second was," Hughes said at the start of an analysis which is sure to have him in trouble with the authorities. "A good referee might have calmed things down with a word and taken the sting out of the game.

"Football's all about getting stuck in and being competitive. If Johnny Giles, Dave Mackay and Billy Bremner were out there today there would have been no-one left on the park the way Stuart Dougal went about his business. I had two guys in the stand analysing Stuart's performance. I don't think he has got any respect for Falkirk Football Club."

Taken from the Scotsman