Hearts-breaker Benji

HIBERNIAN 2
HEARTS 1

HEARTS are now hoping for a favour. Hoping Celtic can better Rangers at Parkhead today. There are those who will feel they have a bit of a cheek given the fact they have done little to aid their own cause.

Afterwards manager Valdas Ivanauskas had a go at his players' attitude but, with Rangers now capable of closing the gap to just two points should they win this afternoon, really he should be having words with whoever is dictating team selection at the club these days. With Steven Pressley, Jose Goncalves and Takis Fyssas all out with injuries, the decision to fan the flames of discord by leaving Andy Webster in the stand proved a costly one as the makeshift defence failed to keep out first Derek Riordan and then Abdessalam Benjelloun as they lost 2-1 to their nearest rivals.

It was a decision which Ivanauskas again refused to comment on. But it definitely baffled the Hibs manager, who insisted the absence of so many big names from the Hearts line-up had given his team the mental edge.

"I have made a lot of the psychology of football," said Tony Mowbray, when asked if he was surprised Hearts had not included the Scotland defender. "It gives you a lift and it gives the players a lift. We play Derek Riordan and Gary Caldwell but they are leaving Andy Webster out the team. It's not really for me to comment on their team selection other than to say they must have their own reasons. We know Derek is going to let his contract expire but we have got to utilise his talents while we have got him. The same with Gary Caldwell but every club has its own thoughts on that."

Craig Gordon, who was furious at the first goal, claiming Steven Fletcher had been interfering with play, was another who couldn't offer any answer as to why his international colleague failed to feature. "It's not my call," said the Hearts and Scotland goalkeeper. "It's people higher up that chose the team but we should have still been good enough to take the three points."

Mowbray is a man who knows all about football psychology. He should. In the recent semi-final he knew the teamlines submitted to the opposition dressing room gave Hearts a lift before they even took to the pitch. Yesterday the boot was on the other foot. The Champions League-chasing club also left Edgaras Jankauskas - in a rich seam of scoring form - in the stand and again Ivanauskas refused to confirm if the decision was injury-related or tactical. It only added to the sense of bafflement. "Ask me only questions about the game. I trust my team," was all the interim boss would contribute to the post-match debate on the subject.

It means Hearts have now gone almost four years since they last triumphed at Easter Road and the victory enhances Hibs' chances of finishing the season in fourth slot, perfectly positioned to benefit if their capital rivals fail to hang on to second place. If they had looked flat in the recent Hampden head-to-head, they had the bit between their teeth this time as they cling to hopes of UEFA Cup football next term.

"Webster is a good player and has played well this season," said Riordan who found it easier against young Christophe Berra and Ibrahim Tall and questioned the sanity of gifting the latter his debut start in such an important match. "But that's Hearts for you! You never know what their team will be."

Hibs' victory means they have maintained their unbeaten home record against the Gorgie side - a record that extends back to 2002 - and helped exorcise the memory of the semi-final defeat. But if it delighted the Easter Road crowd, it is unlikely to cheer Hearts owner Vladamir Romanov.

He stated he would not attend the game as he feared his team would be kicked off the park. In the end they were simply bettered by a team with more spirit, desire and cohesion. If it costs the Tynecastle side second place then it will also cost Ivanauskas any chance he had of retaining the head coach mantle into next season. No wonder he was so riled.

"I thought the game was very important for us and we lost it and that is not good. The problem wasn't the first goal, it was the first half! We said before the game that this was important but not every player seemed to understand how important it was. I'm very angry about that. I'm angry because if you want to play in the Champions League then 45 minutes is nothing, you need 90 minutes' hard work and we did only 45. In big games it is not always the football it is also hard work and fighting."

The battle was certainly lost but the war is still there to be won. A lot, though, will now depend on events at Parkhead.

Taken from the Scotsman