Weak Hearts booed all the way to the top

HEARTS 0
FALKIRK 0

HEARTS moved to the top of the Scottish Premierleague last night after an entertaining goalless draw against a side who are equal with them on points. Yet many fans in maroon were upset and a chorus of boos rang round Tynecastle at the end.

Down Gorgie way, expectations are much higher than they used to be, but on this performance Hearts will struggle to match their feats of last season and the SPL title would be a pipe dream. Take nothing away from Falkirk, however, as they fully deserved their share of the spoils with a battling performance that upset Hearts.

Manager John Hughes may have blotted his copybook by getting himself red-carded at half-time, but Yogi out-thought his opposite number, Valdas Ivanauskas, with a 3-5-2 formation which blotted out much of Hearts' threat. He has also instilled self-belief in a team which competed well throughout and in Russell Latapy, Jack Ross and Patrick Cregg, among others, they have players with a rare intelligence.

Though at first they showed no signs of staleness after their midweek exertions in the Champions League, Hearts seemed unsure how to carve a way through Falkirk's five-man midfield in which Latapy was the controlling influence, while Hearts' back four kept the visitors at bay. Consequently, early chances were few and far between.

Had Roman Bednar's quick shot after just 60 seconds found the goal instead of Scott Higgins parrying it wide, things might have been entirely different. As it was, Falkirk showed no hesitation in going forward themselves.

The 12th minute saw a bizarre incident. Darren Barr rose to meet Latapy's corner but blatantly slapped the ball with his hand, earning a booking from referee John Underhill, who will not have an easier decision to make all season.

Two minutes later some neat play on the left by Hearts ended with Bednar shooting narrowly past Higgins' right-hand post. The next chance fell to Saulius Mikoliunas but his shot into a crowded box was deflected wide.

After Bednar headed a long Robbie Neilson throw-in just wide, Falkirk spurned their best chance of the match when Moutinho looked set to score from a pinpoint Craig cross, only to miss-hit his volley from 12 yards into the turf and straight to Craig Gordon's arms.

On the half-hour mark Bednar and Kenny Milne tangled and after the ball was well away the Falkirk player shoved the Czech striker to the ground. It could and perhaps should have been a red card, but after consulting his assistant, the referee contented himself with booking Milne.

"I do not want to speak about it because it was crazy, but, if it had been a Hearts player, it would have been a '100%' red card," said Bednar. "It was not so hard or aggressive, but it was a red card." Milne suggested the Czech had been getting ready to head butt him and went down easily: "It is either that or I am the strongest man in the world."

Scott Higgins then showed why he is so highly rated by his manager John Hughes. Neil McCann's cross to the far post was met on the drop by Michal Pospisil but the goalkeeper flung himself low to make a superb save. He then dealt comfortably with a Saulius Mikoliunas shot from the edge of the box. In injury time at the end of the first half, Falkirk could have taken the lead, but Tom Scobie rather snatched at his shot from Cregg's cross inside the Hearts' box and the ball trundled towards Gordon. As the teams left the pitch, Falkirk manager Hughes let rip at Pospisil and Bednar for being "constantly in the referee's ear", as he said later, but did so just feet from referee Underhill who sent him to the stand for the second half.

"The referee sent me to the stand for going on to the field of play aggressively," said Hughes. "Fair enough. I had to apologise to my players after the game - that is no way to conduct yourself," said Hughes. "I am a passionate man who leads from the front but I am disappointed in my behaviour."

Hearts started the half brightly and in the 50th minute appeared unlucky not to score when Mikoliunas' swerving shot from the edge of the box took the merest of deflections to send it just wide of Falkirk's left upright. But as befits a team who started the match on equal points with Hearts, Falkirk were in no way overawed and played some intelligent passing football, though they lacked a cutting edge up front. "For long periods, we were every bit as good as Hearts," said Hughes afterwards, and nobody could disagree.

Moutinho was reduced to shooting from distance after 57 minutes, but Gordon saved easily. As Falkirk enjoyed their best spell of pressure, Valdas Ivanauskas sent on Mirsad Beslija and Edgaras Jankauskas for Julien Brellier and Pospisil, who had missed the proverbial sitter just minutes before, when he headed Mikoliunas' cross straight at Higgins. After Scobbie's shot was deflected over the bar, it was Hearts' turn to take charge for a spell.

The home side had a solid claim for a penalty turned down in the 71st minute when Takis Fyssas went down theatrically - does he do it any other way? - from a tackle in the box. Substitute Calum Elliot also had a weaker penalty claim turned down.

Hearts pressed for the winner, Mikoliuanas shooting just wide from 20 yards before Steven Pressley came up for a corner in the last minute of normal time, only to see his header kicked off the line by Cregg. In injury time Bednar had a glorious chance to snatch all three points but his acrobatic volley whistled just over the Falkirk bar. It was a let-off, but one their performance deserved.

MAN OF THE MATCH

RUSSELL LATAPY: Although the 38-year-old Trinidadian understandably tired a little towards the end, he still displayed his full range of skills in playing the midfield general role to near perfection.

Falkirk are by no means a one-man team, but without Latapy they would cease to function properly.

Taken from the Scotsman