Duffy dancing to Jankauskas’ jig-time strike

Hearts 3 - 0 Motherwell
Alan Campbell at Tynecastle

WITH the majority of Hearts’ new signings being sent to boot camp for extra training, it was left to the old guard to squeeze an easy three points out of Motherwell . Two goals down after 12 minutes, the visitors never lived up to their billing of Hearts’ bogey team.

At the end of a quiet week by Hearts’ standards, the most telling performance during the 90 minutes may have been that of new director of football Jim Duffy.

One of four coaches, including Graham Rix, in the Hearts dug-out, Duffy started the game quietly but by the end his all-action animated display had overshadowed the quick brace of goals by returning Hearts striker Edgaras Jankauskas. One wonders who is wearing the trousers in the partnership with Rix.

Duffy is an experienced old hand, and far better equipped to deal with the quirks of Vladimir Romanov than the head coach. His previous roles as manager of Hibs and Dundee may count against him but, for the moment at least, he could provide the stability needed in Hearts’ volatile chain of command. Well, for a few days at least.

By contrast, Terry Butcher looked a frustrated figure in the visitors’ dug-out, cursing the early miss by Scott McDonald which could have changed the flow of the match. His players couldn’t be faulted for effort, but were never in danger of winning this match. “Hearts are a strong, physical side,” said Butcher. “They play to their strengths and you can’t argue with that. If you don’t stand up to them you’ll get swept away.”

Rix, after the 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen the previous Saturday, was pleased with the win, and delighted to have Jankauskas and Roman Bednar back to fitness. “The pair of them would get into most SPL teams,” he said. “It gave everybody at the club a lift when we realised they were available to play.

“Edgaras led the line brilliantly, holding the ball up and taking the weight off young Calum Elliot.”

The irony of Hearts’ opener, after only two minutes, was that the home side should have been restarting the match in the centre circle. Instead it was Motherwell who found themselves chasing the game.

Richie Foran made a good run up the left, and with Steven Hammell offering the overlap found extra time and space to whip a good cross into the Hearts box. Scott McDonald, completely unmarked, should have scored easily, but struck the ball tamely against a post before it was scrambled clear.

Not only scrambled clear, but sent downfield by Takis Fyssas and into the path of Rudi Skacel who worked his way clear into the Motherwell box before releasing a shot which Colin Meldrum, deputising for Graeme Smith, could only parry. Hearts have been missing a poacher all season, but on this occasion Jankauskas was well placed to hoof it high into the net.

Although much of Hearts’ failure to keep pace with Celtic at the top has been down to self-inflicted wounds, the persistent injuries collected by first choice strikers Jankauskas and Bednar have also been a factor. With the latter on the bench, the former reminded the home support what they had been missing in the 12th minute.

Calum Elliot, the young Scottish marksman who has had to bear the recent burden of leading the Hearts attack, broke up a Motherwell move deep in his own half and fed the ball to Jankauskas. He laid it off to fellow countryman Deividas Cesnauskis and when his low cross, intended for Skacel, was cleared out by Martyn Corrigan, Jankauskas blasted it first time into the top of the net from 20 yards.

With the title now all but conceded , Hearts proceeded to give the sort of controlled performance which will be required to hold on to second place . With Paul Hartley suspended, a rather lightweight midfield relied on Julien Brellier to keep their opposite numbers in check, but Bruno Aguiar, who played the full 90 minutes, proved that he has the fitness apparently lacking in his fellow January recruits.

The second half followed much the same pattern, with Hearts in control and Motherwell striving to get the goal which might have eaten into their opponents’ confidence.

Stephen Craigan landed a header on top of the bar, but it was no surprise when Elliot capped an industrious performance by opportunistically finishing good leading up play by Fyssas and Skacel.

Taken from the Sunday Herald