SCREEN TEST WORKS WONDERS FOR HEARTS

By Ronnie Esplin, PA Sport

Hearts head coach Graham Rix showed his players the best and worst of their performances on DVD to inspire them to their 4-1 victory over rivals Hibernian at Tynecastle.

A double by Paul Hartley either side of a Rudi Skacel goal gave the home side a three-goal half-time lead over the rattled Hibees, who were reduced to 10 men when defender Gary Smith was sent off just before the break for an elbow on Saulius Mikoliunas.

Five minutes after the interval Jambos' teenage striker Calum Elliot made it 4-0 before Garry O'Connor broke through for the visitors with an impressive 57th-minute drive.

On Thursday Rix had made his players sit through their 1-0 defeat against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park last week as well as their 4-0 win over Hibs from earlier in the season.

He said: "Before I showed them the 4-0 game, I showed them the one last week against Kilmarnock.

"It was a case of Beauty and the Beast. I'm a positive guy and although I wanted to show them what they did wrong last week, I needed them also to see how good they were.

"I think you showed what they are capable of.

"The Edinburgh derby is a big game and we want to win it not just for ourselves but for our supporters and they've all gone home happy, I'm sure."

Hartley confirmed Rix's plan by saying: "We watched the Kilmarnock game on Thursday to see how bad we were and then the 4-0 game here in August to show the difference in the way we can play.

"I think the 4-0 game did inspire us."

Hibs manager Tony Mowbray denied his players showed any disrespect to former Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer during the minute's applause for the former Jambos chairman, who died last week

The visiting players stood with their arms around each other while many of the Hibees fans in the Roseburn Stand, still peeved by Mercer's failed bid to merge the two capital clubs almost 16 years ago, pointedly turned their back on the tribute.

He said: "No, the players weren't under instruction. You pay your own respects in the way you want to.

"I don't think anybody should question anyone's attitude in how they want to show respect to somebody."

On Smith's crucial dismissal, Mowbray said: "I never saw it so I haven't any thoughts on it.

"The referee made the decision and if the referee saw Gary raise his hands then we have no complaints."

O'Connor admits that the Hibs players feared the Easter Road club's famous 7-0 victory over Hearts in 1973 would be reversed as they sat in the dressing room 3-0 down and down to 10 men.

He said: "The thought of losing 7-0 did cross our minds at half-time. But we said 'no more than three goals'.

"We weren't going to win the game and with Gary being sent-off we were happy to come away just 4-1.

"The manager told us the gameplan and we had to stick to that and we played well in the second half."

Taken from sportinglife.com