Fans get all hot and bothered after sloppy Hearts are foiled by Falkirk

HEARTS 0
FALKIRK 0

STARK evidence of global warming at Tynecastle indicated that summer football is almost as dangerous as the big red star itself. Half an hour into the third game of the season and Falkirk's left-back Kenny Milne was booked for an off-the-ball shove, a hand-to-chest gesture that would not have concerned CCTV monitors had it occurred at 3am on Lothian Road. Amply compensating for the referee's refusal to show red was a display of scarlet faces in the stands.

One conspiracy theorist took out his frustrations on the wooden frame of the press box, then turned to dispense bile at the observers therein. "How can we win the league under these circumstances?" was the gist of the protest.

The appropriate retort would have been to note that if Hearts could only beat Falkirk at home if granted the privilege of running at ten men for an hour, then perhaps the SPL flag would be better raised elsewhere.

Decisions will come and go, the irate will have their say and then the best team will more than likely win the title. But the good, the bad and the indignant at Hearts will have a few points to raise along the way. Roman Bednar's argument that had Milne's assault on him been perpetrated by a player in maroon it would have, on "100 per cent" of occasions, led to a red card, reveals that stroppy outbursts in Gorgie are not the sole preserve of the club's proprietor. A remarkable aspect of Vladimir Romanov's ownership of Hearts is that his modus operandi has filtered down, to people of sound mind with decades' experience of backing the club.

Some might reflect on their conduct of Saturday with a tinge of embarrassment. Heat-of-the-moment stuff, perhaps, but there was a spoilt brat element as well.

The cacophonous condemnation of manager Valdas Ivanauskas for taking off Julien Brellier, just back from injury; the wicked applause that accompanied the removal of Neil McCann later on; the collective dummy spit over Milne. Thank heavens for the sanity of Ivanauskas, who correctly identified that John Underhill had an "okay" game. If institutional anti-Hearts bias was prevalent we surely would have seen a few home players booked. But Falkirk won that contest 3-0.

Given that Hearts had dethroned champions Celtic at the same venue six days earlier, the lack of support for Ivanauskas was astounding. Clearly the fans feel they merit a share of Romanov's reserved right to pick the team. Incensed when Brellier made way for Mirsad Beslija on the hour, they humiliated McCann when his number came up 19 minutes later, the former Scotland winger having given a paltry demonstration of his gifts. Throughout this period Falkirk's frantic defending, numeric superiority in midfield and threat on the counter had them looking every bit as likely to win the game as Hearts.

"It was a hard week," noted Michal Pospisil, injecting reality where madness had been running rife. If it was fair that the dejection of the midweek defeat to AEK Athens should be at the forefront of minds, it was remiss to overlook the physical toll imposed. "I think after last season they [the fans] are a little bit more confident, and expect more from the team. They think we can beat maybe everybody at home.

"Sometimes supporters are angry but I think it was not so bad from us. We very much miss Paul Hartley, and Rudi Skacel as well. They are two big players and it takes some time to replace them."

His strike partner might do well to examine Pospisil's mode of reflection. If Bednar saw the reprieve of Milne as a turning point, he ought to have taken the same view of an earlier incident that set the tone for the afternoon. Inside two minutes the Czech should have converted a one-on-one with Scott Higgins for the opening goal, trying to place his shot across Higgins but overcompensating and putting it wide.

Falkirk's chances in that first half were the equal of their hosts', particularly the one that fell to the unmarked Pedro Moutinho on the volley after fine work on the left by Liam Craig. A left-foot strike from 15 yards was, however, weak and straight at Craig Gordon.

Hearts' fellow table-toppers were impressive in every department except goalscoring, even if their clean sheet was based more on panicky interventions than strategic wisdom.

"This is a daunting place to come," said Higgins, talking up Falkirk's achievement of withdrawing a point from Tynecastle for the first time in 11 years. But the 30-year-old didn't look intimidated in cynically moving a bye-kick across the box with a minute of the match to play, at the inevitable fee of a yellow card. On this occasion, local apoplexy was understandable.
Man of the match
Patrick Cregg (Falkirk)

Not only industrious but nimble and alert, the former Arsenal player from Dublin gorged on possession in midfield and twice made runs that would, if honoured by the required pass, have opened the door for the 20-year-old to win the game. Also cleared Edgaras Jankauskas's late chance off the line.

Taken from the Scotsman