Hearts prepare to fight on two fronts

Last season’s Tennent’s Scottish Cup triumph was admittedly enjoyable for a support intermittently fed of crumbs of success, but the question will always remain of what could have been if Burley had been around to build on the 100 per cent start to the campaign last year with seven straight victories. Anything less than a win and three points on Saturday and the Burley question would have raised its head once again.

Certainly, Romanov has a penchant for disposing of head coaches who do not meet his expectations, but so far so good for Ivanauskas after the second win inside a week. A 3-0 home triumph over NK Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia has all but secured Hearts’ position in the third qualifying round of the Champions League and a meeting with AEK Athens and, at East End Park on Saturday, they clawed their way past a Dunfermline Athletic team that, on this evidence, will cause more problems than the lame efforts of last season.

After a summer of watching the world’s finest compete in Germany, it was, however, a sharp reminder to the system of the rather basic nature of the Scottish game. Undoubtedly, Hearts will be required to take their performances to another level to match Europe’s elite, but Dunfermline’s direct and committed display was perhaps more deserving of an draw. This was not a game for the purists, with both teams guilty of several tasty challenges that, no doubt, would have had Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team-mates lying prostrate even now.

It came as little surprise when Andy Tod, of Dunfermline, was dismissed for a foul on Julien Brellier, the midfield player, with both sides counting themselves fortunate not to have others following his footsteps down the tunnel. But in Bruno Aguiar, the Portuguese midfield player, Hearts have found themselves a quality, versatile, creative and defensive force who shone brightly among his committed but limited opponents.

Last season, it was a straight choice between the defensive Brellier and the more creative Aguiar to partner Paul Hartley in the centre of the Hearts midfield, but in the absence of the Scotland player the duo were paired together to good effect.

Ivanauskas still has to prove he is simply more than a yes-man to Romanov’s off-field meddling, but a pivotal ten-day period where they could progress to the next round in Europe and exert their dominance on the domestic front with a home Premierleague victory over Celtic on Sunday would go a long way to answering those doubters.

Hearts were ahead after 14 minutes when Roman Bednar hooked in a cross, but Stephen Simmons scored against his old club after 62 minutes to restore parity. But Hearts showed their resolve when Aguiar’s free kick came off the underside of the bar and Michal Pospisil knocked home the loose ball.

Robbie Neilson, the Hearts right back, was relieved to get off to a winning start in the league. “The first game is always going to be difficult,” he said. “I think teams now see us as a big scalp and raise their game and make it harder for us. Celtic and Rangers have had to cope down the years with the demands placed on them with the Champions League and the domestic league and we know we will have to adjust.”

Jim Leishman, the Dunfermline manager, appears to have spent his limited wage budget wisely, with Phil McGuire, the former Aberdeen defender, proving that his reading of the game will be an asset in the months to come, and the acquisition of Souleymane Bamba, the former Paris Saint-Germain defender, adding a Bobo Balde-like commitment, rashness and muscle to their backline.

“It is easy to see why many people are tipping us to go down as we have finished 11th in the league for the past two seasons,” Greg Shields said, “but in this time we have been blighted by horrendous injuries.”

Ivanauskas can only hope his squad are not struck down with such medical problems. Romanov’s unrelenting ambition will ensure there is no room for excuses. Ivanauskas, quite simply, has to keep winning for his own sake as well as the club.

Dunfermline Athletic (4-4-2): R McKenzie 6 — G Shields 6, C Woods 5 (sub: O Morrison, 81min), S Wilson 7, S Bamba 8 — P McGuire 7, S Simmons 7, G Mason 6, S Muirhead 6 — N Whelan 2 (sub: A Tod, 6 6), F Daquin 7 (sub: M Burchill, 72 4). Substitutes not used: J McCunnie, C Wilson, D Devries, N Phinn. Booked: Bamba, McGuire, Simmons, Muirhead, Tod. Sent off: Tod. NEXT: Falkirk (a).

Heart of Midlothian (4-4-2): C Gordon 6 — R Neilson 6, T Fyssas 6, C Berra 7, S Pressley 7 — J Brellier 6 (sub: I Tall, 86), B Aguiar 8, S Mikoliunas 6, N McCann 7 (sub: D Cesnauskis, 70) — M Pospisil 7, R Bednar 7 (sub: J Makela, 83). Substitutes not used: S Banks, J Mole, J Neill, A Driver. Booked: Brellier, Aguiar, Bednar. NEXT: Celtic (h).

Referee: B Winter 6.

Attendance: 7,936

Shots on target: (h) 4 (a) 5. Fouls: (h) 24 (a) 12. Offsides: (h) 2 (a) 3

Taken from timesonline.co.uk